Eyes On Isles
Fansided

Islanders: Biggest and most devastating hits by Thomas Hickey

ByMichel Anderson|
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 16: Thomas Hickey #14 of the New York Islanders reacts after a goal by Kyle Palmieri #21 of the New Jersey Devils in the first period during their game at Barclays Center on January 16, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 16: Thomas Hickey #14 of the New York Islanders reacts after a goal by Kyle Palmieri #21 of the New Jersey Devils in the first period during their game at Barclays Center on January 16, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 07: Thomas Hickey #14 of the New York Islanders checks Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Barclays Center on January 7, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 07: Thomas Hickey #14 of the New York Islanders checks Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Barclays Center on January 7, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson isn’t liked league-wide. I’m sure his teammates like playing with him. I’m sure he’s a nice guy in the locker room. But for opposing players he’s a liability to their health and safety.

On numerous occasions, Wilson has thrown a dirty hit like this one against Alexander Wennberg. He’s also known to go head-hunting, like this time he launched into Zach Aston-Reese‘s head during the 2017 playoffs.

For the Islanders, Tom Wilson has been in their black book at least since the 2015 playoffs when he leveled Lubomir Visnovsky with this devastating hit. Visnovsky wouldn’t return to this game or the series and wouldn’t return to the NHL.

Thomas Hickey was on the ice and right in Wilson’s face after the hit. Fast-forward to February 2016 and Thomas Hickey used some of Tom Wilson’s own dark-arts against him with this seemingly fair hit and certainly less-than-legal follow through.

You won’t find a single Islanders fan complain about the hit or the follow-through. This is the type of compensation a player like Tom Wilson is bound to receive for playing the type of game he plays. Thomas was given a minor penalty for elbowing on the play.

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Hickey still wasn’t over the hit Wilson put on Visnovsky in 2015 and he wasn’t going to let Tom Wilson forget it either.

If you weren’t already a Thomas Hickey stan this hit likely converted you to one. There isn’t a single person that bleeds Blue and Orange that doesn’t remember this specific hit and the significance it carried.

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