Penguins Playoff Update: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em in the Alley…

I was truly heartened last night to learn the NHL, in a rare display of prudence and wisdom, chose to suspend Washington winger Tom Wilson three games for his brutal, jaw-breaking hit on Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese. For once, the lords of discipline got it right.

Still, you could almost sense their reluctance to do so. After all, Wilson is an All-Canadian Boy who hails from Toronto…where hockey’s old-school values are defended and trumpeted with a quasi-religious fervor.

Indeed, it was former Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe who famously stated, “If you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you can’t beat ‘em on the ice,” perfectly capturing Canada’s attitude toward its national sport.

There’s a thin line between hard, aggressive play and trying to hurt people. Like former Pens forward Matt Cooke, Wilson seems to stray over the line with stunning regularity. He appears to have little regard for the rule book or his fellow player…at least ones wearing opposing colors.

The frustrating thing? Like the lippy kid from my childhood who always made it back to home base in it-tag, he so rarely pays a price for his actions. To set the record straight, Wilson is a genuinely tough guy who can skate, hit and fight. Back in 2015, he administered a whupping to then-Pens forward Zach Sill, a pretty tough customer in his own right.

Yet, like a classic bully, the 6’4” 215-pounder shrinks from the challenges of foes he knows will deliver a comeuppance for his over-the-edge behavior. An example? In the 2016-17 season opener, Pens heavyweight Tom Sestito…seeking to settle a score from the previous spring’s playoffs…had to chase Wilson down and literally force him to engage. Earlier, this season, Wilson avoided then-Pens hammer Ryan Reaves…who he’s lost to twice…like the plague.

Had it been…say…Kris Letang, who gets high marks for calling Wilson out on the bench following the Aston-Reese hit, the Caps’ bad boy would’ve dropped the gloves in a heartbeat. Heck, his choice of targets says it all. Conor Sheary (all 5’8” of him), Brian Dumoulin (a non-fighter who he hit from behind) and Aston-Reese (a tough kid but considerably smaller and in an extremely vulnerable position).

Plain and simple, Wilson’s a predator, not to mention spot-picker extraordinaire.

Aside from the DC marauder’s flagrant disregard for gentlemanly play, there’s another element to this situation that galls me to no end. It’s the Pens’ own (flawed) organizational philosophy when it comes to protecting its players.

Culpable as they are, there’s only so much the officials and league can do when it comes to shielding guys from renegade ruffians like Wilson. Tasteless as it may seem to hockey purists, a team needs to employ at least a couple of guys who are physically capable of sending a message and keeping the Wilson’s of the world in line.

Can you completely neutralize him? No. Wilson’s an aggressive player and he’s going to get his licks in. But you can at least encourage him to tone down the over-the-top stuff.

Not by coincidence, the notable incidents I’ve cited all occurred when we didn’t have a legit heavyweight in the lineup, or at least one who acted the part. Present Pen Jamie Oleksiak is wholly capable from a physical standpoint, but hasn’t asserted himself to the degree he needs to.

How I wish we still had Reaves. In addition to his considerable prowess as a fighter and cooler, he could’ve dished out a little of what the Pens are receiving…especially on the forecheck. Too, ‘Reavo’s’ muscular presence might have had an unsettling effect on Caps defender Brooks Orpik, a borderline hitter who operates a lot like Wilson.

Sadly, that’s water well under the bridge. How does the old saying go? If ifs and buts were candy and nuts? Our boys’ll have to make do with what they’ve got. At least we won’t have to deal with Wilson for the next three games.

Oh, a parting message for the Caps’ bad boy. There is such a thing as karma…not to mention payback. And there’s always someone a little bigger and tougher and meaner, just over the horizon.

What ye reap ye shall surely sow.