It’s over. In the battle of experience and depth vs. young talent, the Capitals’ experience has trumped the Canadiens’ talented young roster. A monstrous performance from Tom Wilson helped the Washington Capitals win the series in game five against Montreal. Despite the drama and the massive fights, the two teams came together for a mutual show of respect after the fiercely competitive playoff series. Yet, among the handshakes, everyone paused when Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson came face-to-face.

After all, the last time the pair stood in front of one another, they abandoned their gloves and took the fight off the ice and to the beach. Yet, as the announcer put it, “This is where you put aside all the shenanigans and all the physicality of the series… The sportsmanship in the handshake line,” said the announcer. In a heartwarming twist, Wilson and Anderson didn’t just shake hands, but bumped chests and even smiled while sharing a little chat, as they buried the hatchet.

And while we don’t know the dialogue that transpired between the two NHL stars, it was indeed a great moment of sportsmanship between the two rivals. Especially considering how they didn’t miss a single chance to throw hands throughout the series. That’s because the bench brawl at Bell Center didn’t happen out of nowhere. It was a moment when the emotions finally spilled over.

Things had already gotten heated between Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson during game 2. The Habs winger slammed Wilson against the boards in the very first period of Game 2. Although he nearly got away with it, Wilson skated up to Anderson when the offside call stopped play. Anderson’s response? A high cross-check that flattened Wilson.

The officials would have it. They hit Anderson with a penalty double whammy for bearing and cross-checking. Meanwhile, Wilson had to sit on the beach for 2 minutes because of unsportsmanlike behavior. Naturally, the rivals completely lost their cool in Game 3. In fact, even heavy fines couldn’t really dissuade the bad blood heading into game 4.

Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson’s fight took a heavy toll

While Anderson and Wilson fought on the beach with a referee desperately trying to break it up, chaos broke out on the ice. Nearly everyone on both teams grabbed a man, and things spiraled before the officials got everyone to settle down. While the play continued, the NHL took note and later slapped $5000 fines on Wilson and Anderson. Yet, did it discourage the teams from getting in one another’s faces?

The answer is no. Things once again got rough between the teams once again, this time during the warmups. While the league didn’t divulge any details, they slapped both the Capitals and Canadiens with $25,000 fines. And while Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson had started it, Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj and Washington Capitals’ Dylan McIlrath saw the sage of fines through.

Xhekaj paid $3,385.42, while McIlrath paid $2,018.23, to bring the total fines to $65,403.65. Then again, Wilson also explained why these playoff rivalries often get so intense. “It can be a little bit crazy at times and it’s physical, and it’s playoffs, and I think there’s always a little bit of carryover in the playoffs. There’s always those emotions when you play a team over and over, it can get that way, it can become a rivalry,” the Washington Capitals forward told reporters after Game 3.

Yet, with that being said, the two teams, and especially Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson, put all that behind them in a show of respect on the handshake line. In fact, Wilson didn’t just have an extended chat with the Anderson, but also with Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher.