Tom Wilson has built a reputation that travels well beyond Washington, and now it’s apparently earned him a place atop the New York Rangers’ list of all-time villains.
A recent tweet from The Athletic asked which player best fits the villain role for each NHL team, and the Capitals’ own enforcer came out as the Rangers’ biggest enemy. That’s a pretty fitting label for a player who has spent years making life miserable for opponents with his physical edge and willingness to stir things up.
The numbers back up why Rangers fans would circle his name. According to StatMuse, Wilson has appeared in 48 career games against New York and posted 12 goals with nine assists for 21 points. In the playoffs, he has faced the Rangers in 14 games, scoring once and adding three assists for four points while piling up 32 penalty minutes.
For Rangers fans, though, the stat sheet is only part of the story. Wilson is still remembered for cross-checking Pavel Buchnevich, then tackling and slamming Artemi Panarin, before landing in the penalty box with a stance and smile back toward the ice that turned into a social media meme.
Washington had its own villain pick in the same exercise. Mario Lemieux was named the Capitals’ biggest villain of all time, a choice that likely traces back to what he did against them in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Wilson was the clear favorite for New York’s villain among fans, but a few other names surfaced as runner-up choices, including Sidney Crosby, Denis Potvin, Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent.
Even with the bad-guy label attached, Wilson remains one of the key pieces of Washington’s core as the Capitals keep pushing toward a Stanley Cup. He has crossed the line at times, but he also brings the kind of physical presence that makes him valuable to the Capitals and aggravating to just about everyone else.
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