It isn’t easy for any opposition team to enter a noisy, raucous Bell Centre and not get thrown by the home crowd’s passion for the Habs. And in game 3, the Washington Capitals felt the full force of the Montreal faithful amidst the 6-3 loss. But instead of remaining cowed, the Capitals came out swinging in game 4, wrestling the momentum back in their favor. And it all began with a hit. We’re talking about that nasty, yet entirely clean hit that Tom Wilson laid on Alexandre Carrier. Call it one pivotal moment that shifted the overall momentum of the game; it not only knocked Carrier off balance but ignited the Capitals’ offense too, helping the Caps equalize with Brandon Duhaime and later seal the 5-2 comeback win for Alex Ovechkin and co.

With the dust still settling from that out-of-control bench fight between Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson from game 3, Wilson’s hit on Carrier has sparked a fresh wave of debates and discussions. It was the perfect reminder of the physicality of not just Wilson but of playoff hockey because, as heavy as it may have looked, the hit was perfectly legal. However, not everyone in the NHL community felt the same way. “It was kind of a scary hit, but I guess the rules don’t apply for everyone,” said Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes after the game.

But to offer a rather blunt response to all the naysayers was none other than Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette. “If you think the Wilson hit was dirty you’re a f***ing clown and stop watching playoff hockey. #StanleyCupPlayoffs,” posted Bissonnette on his X (formerly Twitter) page. That’s certainly one way to put it! With his enforcer background from his playing days and his opinionated personality, this was a classic Biz Nasty take.

But Bissonnette wasn’t alone in his defense of Tom Wilson. It was in a recent interview by the TSN network that Martin Biron, former Canadian ice hockey player, and sports anchor Jay Onrait got into a conversation—“He had 6 hits, drew 2 penalties, scored an empty net goal, and that big hit on Carrier changed the tone of the game and led to the goal that made it 2-2. But everybody knows when Wilson is on the ice, you have to keep looking in your rearview mirror and seeing where he’s at,” said Biron.

He added, “Tom Wilson is a veteran; he knows how to reel it back in, and he was able to really get under the skin of a few Montreal Canadiens in that game by drawing a couple of penalties and still be impactful by playing physical and playing well in all aspects of the game. So fantastic game by Tom Wilson.” As for Tom Wilson himself? Well, here’s what he had to say about the whole incident.

Just another day at the office for Tom Wilson

It’s been a series almost defined by hits, from Alex Ovechkin’s big one on Cole Caufield in game 1 to Tom Wilson’s even bigger one in game 4. Physicality is the name of the game, so when Wilson was asked about his hit on Carrier in his post-game interview, his response shrugged it off as just another part of the series.

“Yeah, it’s been a physical series both ways,” said Wilson, sitting alongside Logan Thompson. “Getting hit and giving hits, they’ve been really physical, so. It’s a long series, and you just try and kind of invest and continue to play hard every shift you’re out there, but you know it was a big hit, and boys were able to score right after, so that’s kinda the way hockey goes.”

But while Tom Wilson downplayed his efforts, coach Spencer Carbery was the picture of effusiveness. “(Wilson’s hit) completely changed the momentum in the game, and that’s a prime example of one of the elements that he brings to the game,” Carbery said. “And he does so many different things, and everybody in here knows how impactful he is, how unique he is. You saw firsthand how [significantly] he can play a role in a team coming back and winning a hockey game in the most important time of the year.”

Regardless of how hard done by the Habs may be feeling, the fact of the matter remains that the hit stands. While Tom Wilson has had his fair share of controversies, this was not one of those hits. So now the Canadiens have to put in the work of securing victory in enemy territory while the Capitals have their first chance at knocking them out of the playoffs.