So now the onus falls on the victims of the assault. Now the onus falls on the Rangers to respond to Tom Wilson in Wednesday’s …
So now the onus falls on the victims of the assault. Now the onus falls on the Rangers to respond to Tom Wilson in Wednesday’s rematch at the Garden after the NHL abdicated its responsibility by refusing to suspend him. Now it is on the Rangers to either escalate the cycle of violence triggered by Washington’s recidivist winger or risk appearing weak. Now it is on the Rangers to send someone after Wilson in order to protect the logo. This was a complete fail by the NHL. That is expected from a Department of Player Safety run George Parros, a man who made his living on the ice with his fists in compiling one of those comic-book career stat lines of 1,092 penalty minutes and 18 goals in 474 games. But more should have been expected from Gary Bettman, who is believed to have interceded in March to require Wilson’s suspension after the DOPS initially recoiled at disciplining the winger for concussing defenseless Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo. This was burlesque at the Garden Monday night when Wilson first hammer-punched a prone and defenseless Pavel Buchnevich in the head after a routine goalmouth pileup and then rag-dolled Artemi Panarin, body-slamming him to the ice twice while the Rangers tried desperately to protect one another from the out-of-control Washington winger.
