Thoughts on Chatfield's Takedown Yesterday?

[Discipline Daddy]

I get that circumstances in the game, largely driven by Tom Wilson's behavior, helped produce the Chatfield takedown. And Chat didn't want to fight.

But at the same time, it's fair to call a spade a spade. I thought it was a dirty play, probably suspension worthy, although there isn't much precedent so who knows if he'll get one.

Weirdly enough I live in Raleigh and I literally saw Chatfield a few days ago in the park with his kid, being a good Dad. I'm willing to admit that it was a dangerous and wreckless move by Chat here, and I hope he doesn't do it again.

 

[FlameChampion]

Not a hockey play. Should be a suspension. Should of cross checked him in the throat like a typical hockey player.

 

[Penguin Suited Up]

Wilson doing stupid shit does not make it OK to do what Chatfield did. These guys have got to have some control of their actions in these situations.

And it's not like McMichael is a fighter either.

Except when the league does absolutely zilch about Wilson being a serious problem for player safety.

This is why fighting is stupid in the first place. Essentially, the league gets a free pass from doing what it’s supposed to do because fighting “lets the players police themselves”. Garbage, Stone Age mentality that lets a guy like Wilson continue to play in this league.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

His punishment will be fighting Wilson on April 10

 

[the halleJOKEL]

dumb play by chatfield, probably should be a game or two suspension

extremely dumb game overall by the caps. are they always such mental midgets that they can't handle losing a hockey game without their little fee fees getting hurt? jesus christ what a shit show they caused in the third period, and the refs should be absolutely ashamed they let it get to that point. just chill and let the clock run out on a pointless end of regular season game instead of proudly announcing you will begin trying to injure the other team on national television and taking runs at guys the entire third period lmao

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

It was a shitty play in a game that got out of control. The “wuT aBoUT ToM wiLsoN” comments are dumb and miss the mark. Both teams went over the line but that doesn’t excuse this bush league move by Chatfield, which was by far the most dangerous part of an emotionally charged game. DoPS should let him make a choice — a suspension or he has to fight Wilson and/or McIlrath next week. Fair is fair.

 

[max21]

Did you miss the post just a few up where I replied to you and added a screen shot of him cross checking Walker in the back on a nothing play to send him flying? Check your notifications to make sure they are working!

Yeah you mean the type of cross checking that can happen on any given night in the NHL? Crazy

 

[Unsustainable]

I only wished it was Wilson instead on the receiving end.

Wilson was too busy trying to fight 5'8" 170lb Stankoven.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

Yeah you mean the type of cross checking that can happen on any given night in the NHL? Crazy

when one of the dudes involved isn't an ogre, the two teams shove each other a bit and that's it. wilson absolutely lost his mind that someone would shove him back after that which is literally what happens 10 out of 10 times in that situation. wild!

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I’m glad someone started a thread on this so I can point out that it was immediately preceded by 3 periods of Tom Wilson openly threatening to injure someone on national TV while taking repeated runs the smallest players on the ice, until he finally came across 5’8” Logan Stankoven… who dropped him to his knees with a right cross.

But yeah, the next guy who deliberately picked a fight with a non-fighter didn’t like being exposed to injury as a result. Concerning. Someone should be doing something about this dangerous behavior.

yeah in the context of the entire game I have ZERO issue with what Chatty did. Caps were getting their asses kicked and resorted to dirty cheap play and trying to fight everyone on a Canes team that has fought the least of any team in the league in recent years. The refs not only let them get away with it but there were sequences where every Cap on the ice started shit with the Canes and they came out of it on the powerplay.

McMichael had a clean hit on Chatty who just got up and was skating away and for some reason McMichael decided to chase him down the ice while slashing and hacking him and then jumping on him from behind and basically forcing him to fight. He made his bed and f***ed around and found out. Glad he didn't hit his head hard on the ice but Chatty is not a fighter and didn't want to fight so his lack of experience resulted in a dangerous takedown. It was all preventable if the Caps weren't a bunch of sore loser clowns and/or if the refs did their job.

 

[ONO94]

Who cares about Wilson? McMichael tried to make a point by provoking Chatfiield -- who is not physical player-- and Chatfield reacted with more force than intended--maybe don't go after people who don't want to fight -- maybe that is the lesson?

 

[chaz4hockey]

View attachment 1005325I’ll give Chatfield the benefit of the doubt the game got out of hand and was very emotionally charged. I don’t think he obviously meant to hurt Mcmicheal but overall wasn’t a good look.

the entire video is what will be reviewed, not this moment in time.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Textbook osoto gari, but that’s the wrong sport unfortunately.

McMichael is lucky to escape unharmed without his helmet. It was a dumb game that got out of hand. Let’s see if Chatfield answers the bell in the rematch.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I’ll give you an opportunity to step back, acknowledge the cognitive dissonance you’re experiencing, and try again.

Your self awareness is lacking in this one

 

[chaz4hockey]

Nah, Aho swung his stick at the back of Wilson’s knee, then wouldn’t answer for it. Things got crazy after that. Your premise of him only running smaller players is also incredibly biased and wrong, it’s a new thing that Wilson haters have come up with I guess.

Well, not covering the entire incident I see. Wilson took a run at Aho in mid-ice (would have been a head shot) that Aho barely missed and while swinging around he got Wilson in the legs. Wilson brought in on himself but of course for some of the fan base Wilson is a saint. lol

edit: AI comment is appropriate:

On April 2, 2025, Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals appeared to take a run at Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, with Aho declining to fight and Wilson seemingly throwing a tantrum.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the situation:

• The Incident: Adam Gold on X reported that Tom Wilson wanted to fight Sebastian Aho, but Aho declined, and Wilson reacted with what seemed like a tantrum.
  
  
• Reaction on X: Carly Weaver Price on X commented that Wilson's feelings were hurt after missing his hit on Aho and that he was acting like more of a goon than usual.
  
  
• Other Reactions: Jank'n Stank on X noted that Wilson took a run at Aho and got hurt.

 

[bcv]

But didn’t. So there you have it.

Weird how the same guy keeps ending up in the middle of these incidents and then the argument comes up about what someone else did after things escalated out of control. It’s almost like the common element actually needs to be addressed.

Wilson fought Chatfield? Why are you bringing up Wilson? To try and deflect the conversation.

 

[shaner8989]

Disgusting puke

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Who cares about Wilson? McMichael tried to make a point by provoking Chatfiield -- who is not physical player-- and Chatfield reacted with more force than intended--maybe don't go after people who don't want to fight -- maybe that is the lesson?

My biggest issue with "fighting" in the NHL by far is the league almost never calling instigator penalties. Way too often you see a guy whip his gloves off and start throwing haymakers before the other guy even knows it's a fight and it become a matching 5min. majors for fighting. Also instigators shouldn't be 2min minors they should be more; I'd also do something like the NBA with techs and have it be like 3 instigators in a season becomes a suspension, etc.. It's completely ridiculous that guys who have no interest in fighting can just get forced into a fight -- just like what happened here. Fix that part of it and you'll only get fights where both guys want to fight and are more likely to know how to fight and have it not be dangerous like this. Those are the fun fights anyways.

 

[Unsustainable]

Wilson fought Chatfield? Why are you bringing up Wilson? To try and deflect the conversation.

Wilson had started the downhill slide of the game with a cross check and attempted fighting of Stankoven.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Wilson fought Chatfield? Why are you bringing up Wilson? To try and deflect the conversation.

Lol it's literally a recent high profile example of a similar dangerous takedown AND from a player with a significant history of supplemental discipline, and it resulted in no suspension or even fine. Incredibly relevant to the discussion of whether Chatty will or should get suspended for this one. Precedent says a repeat offender got nothing so Chatty should get nothing.

 

[bcv]

Lol it's literally a recent high profile example of a similar dangerous takedown AND from a player with a significant history of supplemental discipline, and it resulted in no suspension or even fine. Incredibly relevant to the discussion of whether Chatty will or should get suspended for this one. Precedent says a repeat offender got nothing so Chatty should get nothing.

Two wrongs doesn't make a right. Take off your homer colored glasses.

 

[bcv]

Wilson had started the downhill slide of the game with a cross check and attempted fighting of Stankoven.

So it's ok for Chatfield to do what he did to McMichael because of what Wilson did?

 

[paul9kariya]

Love fighting.. but man, that could've been horrible. Pretty unnecessary to whip him around and reap his leg out as well. Could've been McMichael's last game, at the very least. What a troglodyte thing to do.

JUDO CHOP

 

[tarheelhockey]

Wilson fought Chatfield? Why are you bringing up Wilson? To try and deflect the conversation.

Because you couldn’t have watched the game last night and not seen the connection between Wilson’s transparent efforts to devolve the game into a street brawl with non-fighters, and his non-fighter teammate narrowly avoiding injury during an unnecessarily instigated fight with another non-fighter.

The fact that Wilson himself previously slew-footed a helmetless opponent during a fight — in a much more targeted manner at that — and received zero discipline is just the cherry on top of the shit cake. If the NHL wants stuff like this to stop, they need to address the root cause.

 

[bcv]

Because you couldn’t have watched the game last night and not seen the connection between Wilson’s transparent efforts to devolve the game into a street brawl with non-fighters, and his non-fighter teammate narrowly avoiding injury during an unnecessarily instigated fight with another non-fighter.

The fact that Wilson himself previously slew-footed a helmetless opponent during a fight — in a much more targeted manner at that — and received zero discipline is just the cherry on top of the shit cake. If the NHL wants stuff like this to stop, they need to address the root cause.

Ahhh Wilson forced Chatfield to do what he did. Gotcha.

Canes fans are proudly repping their jerks nickname I see.