That all changed, he said, when he tuned in for Canada-U.S. and watched the chaos surrounding the opening moments.

As they lined up for puck drop, U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk ignited things when he immediately invited Canadian forward Brandon Hagel to scrap, which he accepted.

One second later, Matthew’s brother, Brady Tkachuk, and Canada center Sam Bennett did the same.

Six seconds after that, U.S. forward J.T. Miller and Canada defenseman Colton Parayko had their own bout.

“The way that started, I mean, it just added to how much I wanted to be in that game, be part of the team,” Wilson said.

As the NHL’s active leader in penalty minutes (1,532), Wilson is no stranger to the pugilist side of the sport. With the Olympics being staged on the smaller NHL-sized ice surface, the physicality the 6-foot-4, 225-pound right wing plays with, especially on the forecheck, would make him an imposing force for the opposition.

But there is much more to Wilson’s game than just brawn.

“He’ll beat you any way you want,” Capitals teammate Dylan Strome said. “He’s intimidating out there, sure, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his offensive skills.

“I watch him on a nightly basis and he’s the complete package, which is why I think he should be on that team.”

To Strome’s point: Wilson is coming off a season in which he set NHL career highs in goals (33), assists (32), points (65) and power play goals (11). Planting his hulking frame at the edge of the crease with the man-advantage understandably caused endless headaches for opposing goalies.

He also was a career-best plus-20 despite having 100 penalty minutes, a telling indication of how he’s evolved into a 200-foot player. In the process, Wilson spent a chunk of the season as Alex Ovechkin’s linemate and was the perfect deterrent to any opposing players with aspirations of taking liberties with the “Great 8.”

“Confidence is a big thing in our world, and seeing pucks go into the net definitely helps in that regard,” Wilson said when asked how his role has changed from that of an enforcer earlier in his career. “Over my time in the NHL, I’ve been blessed with some great coaches and teammates that helped give me more responsibility on the ice in each passing year. And for me, I think the biggest thing was just trying to take advantage of that.

“I was going to do whatever it took to make the League. I wanted to play in the NHL, and whether that was fighting a tough guy on the other team or chipping in on the penalty kill, I just wanted to do whatever it took. And then, when you play with world class players like Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, those guys helped me develop as a player and have helped me have a very cool run in my career.”

One he hopes will continue with Canada in Italy in seven months.

“He’s a special player with a unique combination of talents,” Strome said. “He deserves to be there.”