"We didn't like the hit: felt like it was late and high. Willy just finishes a check and the guy jumps him, and Willy's just protecting himself. That's all he can do. That's the type of guy he is, type of teammate he is. Nothing but respect for him."
"Obviously fighting isn't a big thing in this tournament, but when a guy takes a run at one of our big guys, that's what Willy does. I mean, he does a lot more than that, but it was great to see him step up."
"We're used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things. Sticking up for his teammates, that's an easy one for him."
Tom Wilson dropped the gloves with Pierre Crinon late in Canada's 10-2 rout of France after Crinon delivered a forearm to Nathan MacKinnon's head. Crinon received a two-minute minor and apologized, but both players were ejected because the IIHF treats fighting as a game misconduct. Wilson also scored and recorded an assist, completing a Gordie Howe hat trick. Teammates and coach praised Wilson for protecting a teammate, noting fighting is uncommon at the tournament but that Wilson stepped up and the incident was viewed as harmless in the larger game context.
Read at ESPN.com
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