Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson made a major contribution to Team Canada's resounding 10-2 victory over France. He finished with the first Gordie Howe hat trick in Olympic history.
Things quickly got going when Wilson scored Canada's first goal of the game. The 31-year-old came forward and smothered the counterattack for Drew Doughty's tally.
Later, Wilson added to his point total by assisting Connor McDavid on the third goal. The Capitals returned to the top line with forwards McDavid and Maclin Celebrini.
Wilson made his presence felt with his aggressive play throughout the game. He was once again very physical with his anticipating abilities and two-way play.
Halfway through the third, Pierre Cremon hit Nathan MacKinnon and knocked him to the ice. That's when Wilson looked up from the bench, returned to the ice and dropped the gloves with Cremon.
As a result, both players received two minutes for scuffling, five minutes for fighting and an automatic game misconduct. As Capitals fans will know, Wilson isn't afraid to stand up for his teammates.
The 31-year-old recorded a goal, an assist and a plus-1 rating on Sunday. He finished with two shots and seven penalty minutes for 11:31 minutes of ice time.
Canada's victory was so one-sided that it defeated France 46–14. The Canadians now finished 3–0–0 in group play.
