Hockey Fights Are Routine in the NHL — But the Olympics Handle Them Very Differently
A rare fight during the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament on Feb. 15 led to ejections, a tournament-long suspension and a sharp debate about where the line falls between NHL-style toughness and Olympic sportsmanship.
Canada’s Tom Wilson and France’s Pierre Crinon dropped their gloves during Canada’s dominant 10-2 victory, setting off a chain of consequences that extended well beyond the final buzzer.
The incident exposed a deep cultural divide between the NHL and international hockey — two versions of the same sport operating under very different rules and very different ideas about what belongs on the ice.
How the Fight Started
The trouble began in the third period of an already lopsided game.
France’s Pierre Crinon delivered a hit on Canadian star Nathan MacKinnon, drawing a minor penalty. Canada scored just 25 seconds into the ensuing power play.
But the situation didn’t end there. Minutes later, Wilson and Crinon were jawing at each other near the French net. Wilson dropped his gloves. Crinon followed — before bringing Wilson to the ground, per ESPN.
The response from officials looked nothing like what NHL fans are accustomed to seeing. Olympic referees tried to break up the altercation the moment it started, rather than standing back while two willing combatants exchanged blows.
Both players received a two-minute penalty for roughing and a 25-minute penalty for fighting. Both were ejected.
Wilson walked away with a rare Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game.
Crinon walked away with something else entirely: as he left the ice following his ejection, he provoked Canadian fans in the stands. That decision carried consequences far heavier than any penalty box could.
France Suspended Crinon for the Rest of the Olympics
The day after the game, on Feb. 16, France suspended Crinon for the remainder of the Olympic tournament.
The team wrote in a statement: “Pierre Crinon’s provocative behavior when he came out of the ice, even though he had just been excluded from the match for a fight, is a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.”
“A decision was therefore made, in full alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to authorize his participation for the next meeting(s) of the Olympic tournament,” the team added.
The speed and finality of the suspension reflected how seriously Olympic officials and national committees treat fighting and unsportsmanlike behavior in international competition.
What the IIHF Rules Say About Fighting
Olympic hockey follows International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules, which take a far harder line against fighting than the NHL does.
Rule 46 of the IIHF rule book states: “Fighting is not part of international ice hockey’s DNA. Players who willingly participate in a brawl or fight, so-called willing combatants, shall be penalized accordingly by the referee and may be ejected from the game. Further Supplementary Discipline may be imposed.”
Players who attempt to continue a fight after being ordered to stop “incur at least a major penalty plus an automatic game misconduct penalty in addition to any additional penalties imposed.”
Per Rule 20, major penalties are worth 5 minutes. An automatic game misconduct results in ejection.
The NHL rule book treats fighting differently. It allows players to finish a fight before being assessed a major penalty worth 5 minutes.
Fighting is penalized in the NHL, but it is not framed as a violation of the sport’s core values the way the IIHF frames it.
The IIHF considers fighting entirely outside the boundaries of international competition. The NHL has long tolerated it — and some would say embraced it — as part of the game.
It should be noted that Wilson plays in the NHL. Crinon plays in Ligue Magnus, the top men’s hockey division in France, which operates under IIHF rules.
Players From Both Sides Weighed In
Nathan MacKinnon, the Canadian star hit by Crinon before the fight escalated, praised Wilson for having his back.
“That guy obviously didn’t want to fight Tom,” MacKinnon said. “He just wanted to wrestle. I wouldn’t want to fight Tom either,” MacKinnon said, per ESPN.
Canadian coach Jon Cooper downplayed the severity, framing it as a natural response within the flow of the game. “We’re used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things,” Cooper said. “Sticking up for his teammates, that’s an easy one for him.”
Connor McDavid, Canada’s leading goal scorer, defended Wilson and expressed displeasure with the original hit on MacKinnon. “We didn’t like the hit, felt like it was late and high,” McDavid said. “Willy just finishes a check and the guy jumps him, and Willy’s just protecting himself. That’s all he can do. That’s the type of guy he is, type of teammate he is. Nothing but respect for him.”
The French side saw things differently — and the reaction to Crinon’s suspension was blunt.
France’s goalie, Antoine Keller, did not hold back in his criticism of his own country’s Olympic committee on Feb. 17, per the Associated Press.
“We are a big family: When we come together, we come as brothers, and we just got rid of one of our brothers, so it’s a joke from the French Committee Olympic,” Keller said.
“We need this player. We needed him today, and they just take it from us for something that just, like, happens every week in any hockey game, so I think that’s a joke,” he added.
For Keller, the fight was a routine occurrence — the kind of thing that happens at every level of hockey. The suspension, in his view, punished the entire team for something that should have been handled with the in-game penalties already assessed.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.