At this time last season, Caps’ right wing Tom Wilson was just getting ready to jump back into the team’s lineup after a grueling six-month rehab and recovery from a torn ACL suffered in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This January finds Wilson healthy and at the top of his game, and the NHL has recognized his stellar first half performance by naming him to represent the Caps and the Metropolitan Division at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in his hometown of Toronto on Feb. 3.
Representing the Capitals at the NHL All-Star Game is nothing new for Wilson. Two years ago, Wilson was a last-minute replacement for Caps’ captain Alex Ovechkin, who tested positive for COVID-19 on the morning of Washington’s last game before the All-Star break. The forward line of Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Wilson played a significant role in the team’s strong start in 2021-22, and both Ovechkin and Kuznetsov had already been named to the squad.
“It's a roller coaster of a year,” said Wilson, on that occasion almost two years ago. “You wake up and you're like, ‘Oh no, [Ovechkin] can’t play tonight.’ I called him on the way here and was kind of like, ‘Hey, thank you – I guess – because I get to go experience a pretty cool event because of it.’ But I'm happy to represent the Caps and fill in for him. And it sucks to lose your captain and your leader, and such a big part of our team for tonight, and obviously, for the NHL at the All-Star game, but I'm looking forward to it.”
When Wilson was named to the All-Star Team in 2022, his then-fiancé – and now wife – Taylor and both their families were already in Florida awaiting his arrival for some pre-planned fun in the sun over the All-Star break. Those plans were quickly scrambled, but it was impossible for every member of both clans to hustle out to Vegas at the last minute, so Wilson was joined for the momentous occasion only by his two brothers, Pete and Jamie.
“My girlfriend's actually in Florida already with both our families,” said Wilson. “So they may be stuck there, but we'll see if I can get some friends or family down to down to Vegas, but that's just part of it. They understand, and that's part of the gig, so they're happy for me and obviously they're my support system. We'll see if we can get a few of them down there, but we'll take it day by day.”
This time around, Wilson won’t have to worry about getting all his people there for the game, and his family won’t have to travel far, either.
“It’ll be pretty special,” he says. “I had a blast in Vegas; it was really an amazing weekend. You get to see the NHL on the biggest stage, there’s a lot of excitement, it’s a good time and you get to see all the players. And then obviously being in Toronto, in my hometown, I’m looking forward to being in that building and looking around. It will be pretty full circle, having grown up as a kid there. And being able to have family and friends support you, it’s going to be awesome.”
As a kid who grew up loving the game in a hockey mad family, Wilson annually looked forward to watching the All-Star Game as a kid, and he is excited to be making a return trip.
“I think as a kid watching All-Star Games growing up, you always dreamed in being one of those games,” says Wilson. “There was a lot of amazing talent, there was always a big weekend, and everyone always had it on TV. No matter what year or what time it is, to be an All-Star and be able to represent the Caps and go there on a big stage with some of the best players from around the League, it’s pretty meaningful.
“I’m excited. It’s always one of those weekends that makes you fall in love with the game again and appreciate where you’re at, appreciate the sport. That’s what it was for me in Vegas, and I’m excited to get another crack at it.”
One of the highlights of Wilson’s first trip to the All-Star Game two years ago was getting to spend time with the rest of the players from all around the League. As a players’ representative for the NHLPA, Wilson has a fair amount of interaction with other players from around the League. But being in the locker rooms of an NHL All-Star Game is much different from being in a conference room discussing union matters.
“You meet so many great guys, and they’re the superstars around the League,” says Wilson. “Usually, my job is making their life difficult to the best of my ability, but there’s so many great guys in the game of hockey. I really enjoy that part of it, just getting to meet all the guys that you compete against every night. It’s really a ton of skill, everyone is excited, it’s just a really good atmosphere and a really good vibe at those games. It’s obviously a huge privilege to be going to my second one. As you go throughout your career, it’s a huge honor and a huge privilege. So big thanks to all my teammates and coaches that have helped me get to that point, to be able to go and represent the Caps. I’m excited for it, and hopefully it’ll be a fun one in Toronto.”
Wilson is one of seven players who have played in each of Washington’s first 36 games this season, and he is tied for second on the team with 11 goals and is fourth on the club in scoring with 19 points. He is averaging 18:31 in nightly ice time, just four ticks off his single-season career high of 18:35, established in 2021-22, the season of his prior All-Star appearance. Going into Thursday night’s slate of NHL activity, Wilson is one of 42 forwards who are averaging more than two minutes per game in power play time and more than a minute and a half per game in shorthanded ice time.
Earlier this week in Pittsburgh, during a pre-scout meeting ahead of the Caps’ morning skate, Wilson learned of his All-Star selection when a video of his father, Keven, popped onto the screen instead, telling his son of his selection to the game in his hometown, and how proud his 95-year-old “Grampy” will be when he hears the news.
“He had a lot of information to cover there,” says Wilson of hearing the news in that fashion. “But it’s pretty special. For us and for me, when you’re playing the game of hockey and you’ve had a career that spans over a bunch of years, the most special thing is sharing it with family and friends and how excited they get for these types of things.
“Your support system is your wife and your family and all those people that show up for you, and really take care of things behind the scenes so that we can go and be acknowledged and go to these fun events. It means the world. I’m sure the tickets will be pretty pricey, but it will all be worth it. It will be fun to share with my friends and family.”
