Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson explain decision to drop gloves against Team France in Canada's 10-2 Olympic win

Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson triggered the first fight in men's Olympic hockey since 1998 when he dropped the gloves against France's Pierre Crinon with seven minutes remaining in Canada's dominant 10-2 preliminary round victory Sunday at Santagiulia Arena in Milan.The altercation was sparked by a forearm Crinon delivered to Nathan MacKinnon's head in the third period. The French defenseman received only a two-minute minor for the high hit, a punishment Wilson and his Canadian teammates felt fell well short of what was deserved.

Tom Wilson Breaks Down the Sequence of His Fight

Mollie Walker reported Wilson's post-game breakdown of how events unfolded. The Capitals winger said the decision to drop the gloves came quickly once he found himself face-to-face with the same player who had targeted MacKinnon. After Wilson finished a hard check on Crinon behind the French net, the situation escalated rapidly. "It was kind of a dirty hit," Wilson said. "I obviously ended up with the same guy who had done it. Hockey is an emotional game. It's a competitive game.”He continued, “When you come together with a big guy, you kind of have to make the decision quickly and the gloves came off." Wilson described being thrown to the ice as the moment instincts fully took over.

"Got thrown down to the ice, and then from there it's just kind of a melee," he said. "I mean, it's fight or flight at that point. I just wanted to stick up for our team."MacKinnon praised Wilson after the final buzzer, noting Crinon's hit was clearly late and high. "I definitely appreciate him sticking up for me," MacKinnon said. Connor McDavid also backed his teammate, saying Wilson was just protecting himself and calling him exactly the type of player every team needs.Drew Doughty noted that fighting is rare in Olympic hockey but Wilson's response was entirely expected given the circumstances. "When a guy takes a run at one of our big guys, that's what Willy does," Doughty said. The bout also completed Wilson's Olympic Gordie Howe hat trick, having already scored a goal and added an assist.Crinon was suspended by the French hockey federation for the rest of the tournament for violating Olympic spirit. Wilson was cleared by the NHL-IIHF disciplinary committee and will suit up for Canada's quarterfinal Wednesday as the gold medal favorites open the knockout rounds.