The NHL will hold a hearing on Tom Wilson’s hit on Boston’s Brandon Carlo

PHILADELPHIA — The NHL’s Department of Player Safety will hold a hearing on Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson’s high, hard check on Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, the league announced Saturday. The hearing, scheduled for Saturday night, was to be held over Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league will look at Wilson’s hit under the criteria of boarding. Such a hearing allows for a suspension of longer than five games but does not guarantee supplemental discipline. Carlo was taken to a hospital after Wilson’s hit Friday night, but on-ice officials did not call a penalty. Carlo was released from the hospital Saturday, the Bruins said. The play occurred with 1:30 left in the first period of Boston’s 5-1 win. Carlo was looking down for the puck by the end boards, and Wilson came barreling in. He laid a full body check on Carlo that slammed the defenseman’s head into the glass. Carlo crumpled to the ice and left with help from a trainer and a team doctor. The Capitals play Sunday night at the Philadelphia Flyers. Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said the team was “hopeful” Wilson would be available for the game.“To me, it was a hockey hit, ” Laviolette said Saturday after the team’s optional practice. “If this is a suspendable play, then all hitting really is going to probably have to be removed because he didn’t take any strides, he didn’t target the head. A player was up against the boards, he was upright, and Tom hit him hard.“I hope the player’s okay, but, for me, the call I think was correct on the ice last night. This hit happens so many times through the course of the game where somebody hits somebody against the boards. ”Boarding is defined as a player checking or pushing a “defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously. ” The NHL must determine whether contact could have been avoided and under what circumstances the check was made.“We are behind Tommy, and I guess we will just see how it goes, ” Capitals center Nic Dowd said. Wilson has been suspended for boarding before. He was banned for the first four games of the 2017-18 season for boarding St. Louis Blues forward Samuel Blais in the preseason. On Friday night, Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy called Wilson’s hit “completely unnecessary, dirty. ”“Clearly looked like, to me, [he] got him right in the head, defenseless player, predatory hit from a player that’s done that before, ” Cassidy said. Bruins winger Brad Marchand called it a “bulls--- hit” and a “f---ing cheap shot” on the Boston broadcast of Friday’s game. The teams do not meet again until April 8 in Washington. Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron said improving the safety of the game has to start with the players and, while progress been made, there’s more to be done.“I think we have to be smarter, ” he said. “We have to think about consequences when we go for hits. All data is taken from the source: http://washingtonpost.com Article Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports... #hit #newsnbc #newstodayabc #usanewstoday #bbcnewsworld #newstodayusa #