Johnathan Walker:Capitals' Tom Wilson faces sixth NHL suspension after forcefully high-sticking opponent

Controversial Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is Johnathan Walkerlooking at the sixth suspension of his career and first since 2021 after forcefully high-sticking an opponent Wednesday night.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety said Thursday that it was offering Wilson an in-person hearing. That means a potential suspension of six games or more. No date or time has been set.

Wilson received a double-minor penalty for swinging his stick and hitting the Toronto Maple Leafs' Noah Gregor in the face at 12:15 of the third period during a 7-3 loss at home. He had checked Gregor into the boards and reacted forcefully when Gregor put his stick into Wilson's chest.

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Wilson has a history with the league. He has been suspended five times previously, including once for 20 games (reduced to 14 games after an appeal to an independent arbitration) for an illegal check to the head. His last suspension was seven games for boarding in 2021.

After that suspension and also after the 20-gamer, he said he would have to change his approach to the game. And other than a $5,000 fine for roughing later in the 2020-21 season that led to a brawl in that game and a fight-filled next meeting between the Capitals and New York Rangers, he has a clean record.

He has been named to the All-Star Game twice and signed a seven-year contract extension.

The timing of the latest infraction comes at a bad time for the Capitals. They trail the Detroit Red Wings by one point in the race for the second wild-card spot.

There have been two other in-person hearings this season, resulting in a six-game suspension for Detroit's David Perron and five games for Toronto's Morgan Rielly.