Toronto Maple Leafs blue liner Morgan Rielly has been offered an in person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety following his cross check to the head area of Senators forward Ridly Greig Saturday evening.
Because the league is offering an in person hearing, the door has now been opened for a lengthier suspension, possibly being in excess of 5 games. Rielly has never previously been suspended throughout his NHL career, a point which could factor into any potential future discipline from the league.
The play in question took place with 5.1 seconds remaining in the game after Greig took a slap shot on an empty net break away goal to emphatically cap a 5-3 win for Ottawa.
The Leafs took exception to Greig breaking an “unwritten rule” of hockey with what they believed to be an attempt to show them up. After the game, captain John Tavares and head coach Sheldon Keefe backed Rielly’s decision to go after the 21 year old.
“We obviously didn’t like the result on the empty netter,” Tavares told reporters after the loss. “So, we’re going to stick together and stand our ground when necessary.”
“I thought it was appropriate,” Keefe echoed. “I’m sure [the league] will look at it, yeah…He was reacting to a play. Their player has the right to do what he wants in that moment. And our players have the right to react. And it’s the emotions of the game.”
Ottawa’s veteran bench boss Jacques Martin had a decidedly different opinion of the matter when asked about his thoughts following the contest.
“He put the puck in the net. Whether he shoots it or pushes it, [Rielly’s reaction], that shouldn’t happen. That’s not a hockey play. That’s just frustration or something. It’s not part of the game.”
The play set off a maelstrom of comments online, with regional and national telecasts of the game weighing in on the matter in relatively short order as well.
The Leafs and Sens have a long standing rivalry with one another, however the “Battle of Ontario” was largely viewed as having lost some of its lustre in recent years. Between Toronto’s struggles between 2013-2016, followed by the Senators rebuild beginning in 2017, the two clubs haven’t both been relevant at the same time in over a decade.
After meeting in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 4 out of 5 seasons leading up to the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, plus their close geographic proximity to one another, the Senators vs. Maple Leafs rivalry was amongst the leagues most vitriolic in the early 2000’s. But with every player from those series now long since retired, it will be up to the newer generation of players to bring the intensity back to the fight up the 401.
Unfortunately fans will have to wait until the 2024-25 season to see if the bad blood continues. With Ottawa needing a miraculous run to claw their way back into playoff contention, and all 4 contests between the clubs having already been played this year, Greig’s status as public enemy number 1 in Toronto will have an entire offseason to cool off.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Michael Miller. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.