NHL suspends Rielly of the Maple Leafs for five games for cross-checking Greig of the Senators. NHLPA is making an appeal.
In the closing moments of the teams’ weekend match, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly cross-checked Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig, earning him a five-game suspension.
Less than twenty-four hours after the league’s department of player safety issued its decision, the NHL Players’ Association declared on Wednesday that it would be launching an appeal on Rielly’s behalf.
Due to the snow in New York on Tuesday, the hearing was held virtually instead of in person, giving the league the authority to suspend Rielly for a minimum of six games. Commissioner Gary Bettman is the only person to whom an appeal may be made because the suspension is below that threshold.
Greig’s slap shot into an empty net with 5.1 seconds remaining on Saturday night to make it 5-3 Senators in favor of the opposition infuriated Rielly. Although he gave Greig a cross-check to the head and left shoulder, the 21-year-old, who was playing in his first full professional season, was unharmed.
The league clarified the suspension in a video, saying, “This is not a hockey play.” “This is a well-planned, violent blow to the head of an opponent with a stick, used to exact revenge long after a goal has been scored.”
Rielly, who had no prior record of fines or suspensions during his 11-year NHL career, will forfeit $195,313 in salary due to the suspension.
The Maple Leafs, who are fighting for a postseason berth in the Eastern Conference, have suffered a serious blow in losing Rielly, one of their All-Stars and most valuable players this season, for this extended period of time. For Toronto, the 29-year-old skates for more than 24 minutes every game, and his contributions in every way are hard to replace.
Following practice on Monday, Leafs forward William Nylander told reporters, “He’s been on fire, obviously an incredible season.” “I think our group is pretty resilient; when guys have been out, other guys have stepped up and played, taking that role,” the player said.
The incident sparked a lively discussion among hockey enthusiasts about the pros and cons of taking revenge, particularly late in a game, as well as the unwritten rules of scoring an empty-net goal.
Rob Ray, a former enforcer for the Buffalo Sabres who is now a broadcaster, had no problem with Greig, Rielly, or the five-game suspension.
“It’s not an issue for me. It’s a competition game. The game was a chippy one. Ray remarked after Buffalo defeated Los Angeles 7 to 0.
“The kid hammers it in at the end of the game. Despite their current position in the standings, I don’t mind if he does that either because it’s a big game for them. Ray continued, “And Rielly, being a leader, is attempting to ignite his team,” Ray said. Ray played 15 NHL seasons with Ottawa. He thus sits for five games. Significantly. That demonstrates to the other guys what leadership entails?
Speaking about Greig and Rielly on Tuesday morning before the suspension was announced, veteran forward Andrew Cogliano expressed his opinion that the emotional aspect of the game is not given enough credit.
“If I had to guess, I’m pretty sure Greig wouldn’t do that if he had another opportunity,” stated Cogliano, who is currently in his 17th season in the NHL and has been a member of Colorado since 2022. “It’s probably something that didn’t need to happen, but things happen in the heat of the moment, and Rielly took matters into his own hands, believing it wasn’t right for his team. He may ultimately be suspended, but it might also make their room a little more cramped.
Since Greig was unharmed, younger Avalanche teammate Bowen Byram didn’t mind watching the events unfold from a distance.
Byram remarked, “I know Ridley Greig really well.” “I was texting him after we played hockey together as kids, and he was asking me why I had done that. That was foolish, or something. To be honest, I kind of like that. There are a lot of emotions present in this emotionally charged game. That kind of fireworks is okay to see every now and then, and I believe it helps the game too.
During his hearing, Rielly maintained that he touched Greig’s body before hitting his opponent in the head. Although the league admitted to some physical contact, it insisted that using a stick in that circumstance was still unacceptable because the outcome had already been decided.
