Toronto Maple Leafs defender Morgan Rielly is likely going to be sitting out a few of his team’s next games. Rielly decided to pay homage to Dale Hunter after Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig potted a slap shot, empty-net goal from inches away from the net to seal Ottawa’s 5-3 victory over Toronto on Saturday night.
While Greig was circling back around to celebrate the goal and win with his teammates, Rielly, infuriated by what he determined a sign of disrespect, leaped and cross-checked Greig in the face. After the ensuing melee was cleared up, Rielly was handed a cross-checking major and ejected from the game with just six seconds remaining in regulation.
Rielly’s actions will surely draw a review from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. The league has already established some precedent for perceived purposeful cross-checks to the face this season.
Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron was suspended six games in December for cross-checking Ottawa’s Artem Zub in the head. Perron even appealed that suspension and it was upheld by commissioner Gary Bettman after further review.
Missing Rielly for any amount of time will be big for Toronto as he is their number-one defenseman. The 29-year-old blueliner has 42 points (7g, 35a) in 49 games and is skating on average 24:22 of ice time per game. Until Saturday night’s incident, Rielly only had eight total penalty minutes this season and has never been suspended or fined in his career.
Rielly’s head coach, Sheldon Keefe, apparently saw nothing wrong with the play. “I thought it was appropriate,” Keefe told TSN’s Claire Hanna. “Our players have the right to react.”
While Ottawa has struggled to find momentum as a team this season, they’ve had no issue dispatching the Leafs in three of the four games of the Battle of Ontario season series. Toronto is a frustrated team overall as they’re 5-5 in their last 10 games and in danger of slipping to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The rest of the game was otherwise normal. The only other penalties called were two tripping minors. The two teams will not play one another again until next season.
