Tom Wilson ignites rare Olympic hockey fight as Canada smashes France 10-2 in Milano Cortina showdown

The 10-2 thrashing of France by Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics may have been remembered for its scoreline, but it was the rare on-ice fight between Tom Wilson and Pierre Crinon that will be remembered for years to come.
The brawl began in the third period when Pierre Crinon delivered a high forearm smash to Nathan MacKinnon, who was hurt but not injured. While Crinon was given a two-minute penalty and Canada scored on the power play, Tom Wilson knew that wasn’t enough. He dropped the gloves and challenged Crinon, knowing full well that he would be ejected from the game.

Tom Wilson ejected for defending Nathan MacKinnon as teammates praise 'protective' Canada star

According to the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation, fighting is considered misconduct during the Olympics, and both players are sent off with seven minutes remaining in the game. Since the game was already out of reach, Canada seemed nonchalant about the penalty and saw Tom Wilson’s reaction as a sign of team solidarity rather than misbehavior.
Canadian captain Connor McDavid supported his teammate, saying that the hit on MacKinnon was “late and high” and that he was impressed with Wilson’s team spirit. MacKinnon himself joked that not many players would be eager to take on the massive 6-4 winger, again emphasizing the fact that Wilson’s presence is felt both physically and psychologically on the ice.
Veteran Canadian defenseman Drew Doughty also praised the decision, saying that Wilson’s team-first mentality is what makes him so valuable to the Canadian Olympic team. Canadian forward Sam Bennett agreed, saying that Wilson is the emotional leader of the team who can “light the spark” when needed.
"We're used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things," Canada's head coach, Jon Cooper, downplayed the incident. "Sticking up for his teammates—that's an easy one for him."
Nonetheless, Canada is still on track to advance to the knockout stage of the men’s competition in Italy. Ironically, the incident has instead seemed to bring the team even closer together, which could be the difference between winning and losing another Olympic gold medal.
In fact, Wilson’s outburst has been a reminder that even in the Olympics, where fighting is extremely rare, the intensely loyal world of professional hockey still has a strong hold.


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