MEAWW.COM / NEWS / SPORTS

NY Rangers shocked NHL fined Capitals' Tom Wilson only $5K for brawl, angry fans say 'this league is a JOKE'

Wilson's actions are described as "dangerous and irresponsible" in the statement and NY Rangers demanded that George Parros be suspended from his role at the Department of Player Safety

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was fined $5,000 on Tuesday, May 4 for roughing up New York Rangers forwards Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich during Monday, May 3, game at Madison Square Garden in New York. The brawl began after Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek made a save and the players began shoving one another. Wilson punched Buchnevich in the back of the head then later body-slammed Panarin to the ice, causing the forward to miss the rest of the game with a lower-body injury.

The New York Rangers then issued a statement about Wilson's $5,000 fine for roughing Buchnevich. Wilson's actions are described as "dangerous and irresponsible" in the statement and the team demands that George Parros be suspended from his role at the Department of Player Safety since the NHL's Department of Player Safety allowed Wilson to get off with just the fine and no disciplining. The team is furious with Wilson's mild punishment.

READ MORE

Who are Walter Gretzky's kids? A look at Wayne the Great One and his siblings as Canada's Hockey Dad dies at 82

Who was Kara Burmachuk? Ice hockey legend Mark Pavelich's wife died after tragic fall from second-floor balcony

Wilson was fined a pittance — the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement — for "roughing" Buchnevich, equating to roughly.0967 percent of his $5,166,666 salary this season, the New York Post reported.

The statement read: “The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden,” the team statement read. “Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their department of player safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely. Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season."

“We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role," it added.

'Single-handedly caused the NHL to turn on itself'

Fans on Twitter chimed in on the incident. "Tom Wilson has single-handedly caused the NHL to turn on itself. This is incredible lmao," said one. "Just a quick reminder that every GM in the NHL would take Tom Wilson on their team," said another. A third user shared a GIF of Leonardo DiCaprio throwing money in the film 'The Wolf of Wall Street', saying: "Tom wilson paying his 5k fine on his 5.1 mil dollar salary".

'A disturbing lack of accountability

"The NY Rangers basically just said they don't believe the National Hockey League can protect their players anymore and are going after Tom Wilson's knees tomorrow night," a Twitter user said. "When Matt Cooke was officially out of control, Mario and Ray Shero sat down with him, told him he had a problem and that he had to change. The Capitals just keep pushing the idea that Tom Wilson is a victim. It’s a disturbing lack of accountability. And the NHL isn’t helping," said another.

John Scott, a former NHL player, said Wilson "crossed the line" on May 3 night with the "gutless terrible hockey". "What on earth is happening with the NHL right now?" Scott said. "(League disciplinarian) George Parros completely dropped the ball, he dropped his drawers, he dropped everything."