Jose Theodore On Alex Ovechkin There was no love lost between Washington Capitals alternate captain Tom Wilson and Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson on Tuesday, as the two were going at it all night long on Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome. Tension had been brewing between the two from the moment the puck drop, and as it reached its peak, Wilson and Andersson, two agitators in their own rights, didn't hold back. It really started when Wilson took a hard cross-check from Adam Klapka. He grabbed his ribs in response after going down, and when he got back up, he started yelling at Klapka to turn around so he could see who he was. The shouting match continued on the bench between Wilson and Andersson, along with other active participants on both sides. Then, later in the period, things escalated on the ice on a delayed penalty. Wilson touched up the puck, giving Andersson a shove as the referee whistled the play down. Andersson responded by mocking Wilson, wincing and groaning as he grabbed his ribs as Wilson did when he got hit by Klapka. “It’s emotions, right? I know he gets triggered by certain stuff and it’s emotions and when you look back at it, it’s all good on my part at least," Andersson said. "We’re down 2-1 with four minutes left and it’s a couple scrums and there’s a lot on the line for us and as I said, it’s a lot of emotions. I think that’s one part of the game I enjoy is to chirp a little bit and get under skin and just the way it went today. Today it was Wilson. “We it’s not the first time we chirp each other. It was pretty quiet until the end, got him going, got me going, and it worked out for them. And as I said, it’s all fun and it’s part of it, in my opinion at least.” As both received matching unsportsmanlike penalties, Wilson responded by having some fun at Andersson's expense, and vice versa. "That's Razzy for you. He likes to chirp and get under people's skin and so does Willy, so it worked out perfect," Andrew Mangiapane, who was Andersson's teammate before coming to D.C. from Calgary, said. I'm sure they both said some good chirps back and forth there." The two continued to jaw at each other in the box, as Wilson imitated Andersson and then took off his helmet before placing it on top of his head, poking fun at how Andersson's helmet can appear a bit big on his head. Both players are known for their grit, though Wilson has the upper hand at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds as Andersson weighs in at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds. Meanwhile, Wilson has two fights under his belt this season, while Andersson hasn't dropped the gloves since 2022. Regardless, his teammates were having a good time watching the narrative play out. "I love it, it's awesome. Those are fun games to be a part of. I love that stuff, I love Tom. It was funny for sure, I was enjoying it," Logan Thompson said. "I was laughing, I was laughing, too... You can't help but laugh." Given these two teams rarely see each other, it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out when the Flames next see the Capitals in D.C. on Feb. 25.
