Caps' Tom Wilson Eligible To Play Again, Suspension Reduced To 14 Games
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
WASHINGTON (AP/KDKA) -- Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has had his 20-game suspension reduced to 14 by a neutral arbitrator and is eligible to play immediately.
Wilson has already served 16 games of his suspension for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis forward and former Pittsburgh Penguins' player Oskar Sundqvist in each team's preseason finale.
The ruling by Shyam Das allows Wilson to return as soon as Tuesday night at Minnesota, and the 24-year-old will recoup $378,049 of the $1.26 million he initially forfeited as part of the suspension.
Tom Wilson's 20-game suspension for an illegal check to the head has been reduced by Arbitrator Shyam Das to 14 game. Full decision available here: https://t.co/JxNdnUMmr3 pic.twitter.com/8BfZ5zzeak
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) November 13, 2018
The 20-game ban handed down by the NHL's department of player safety came after Wilson was suspended three previous times in 13 months for a hit to the head of an opponent.
Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Wilson's suspension on appeal before it went to Das, the same arbitrator who earlier this season reduced Nashville forward Austin Watson's domestic violence suspension from 27 games to 18.
Last season, during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Wilson was suspended three games for giving Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese a concussion and broken jaw during a game at PPG Paints Arena.
(TM and © Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)