Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly of Vancouver, British Columbia has been suspended five games according to TSN on Tuesday. Rielly was disciplined for cross-checking Ottawa Senators rookie centre Ridly Greig of Lethbridge, Alberta after Greig fired a slapshot into an empty net at the end of the third period in a 5-3 Senators win over the Maple Leafs at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Saturday.
Unable to Attend Hearing
Rielly was to travel to New York for an in-person hearing, but was unable to make the commute because of poor weather. He met with the National Hockey League Player Safety Department virtually instead.
Not surprised by Ruling
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made a public statement and was not surprised about the suspension. He stated, “I think there’s a history also of events that happen in Toronto and with the Leafs that get more attention and more hype that tend to lead to something such as this.”
From working in the Toronto media, he is correct about his assessment here. TSN prioritizes the Maple Leafs over all other Canadian NHL franchises.
Unwritten Rule
There are several unwritten rules in professional sports when it comes to moral conduct. Apparently firing a puck into an empty net is something not considered appropriate. That said, the Rielly cross-check is definitely more inappropriate, and it was important for the NHL to discipline on the Maple Leafs blueliner.
Suspension gave Senators momentum
The fact that Rielly was disciplined for his cross-check may have given the Senators a bit of a spark on Tuesday. Greig scored again as the Senators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3. In his last three games, Greig is a very impressive +6.
Maple Leafs win too
The Maple Leafs did not miss Rielly much on Tuesday. They came through with a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Toronto is seventh in the Eastern Conference with 62 points.
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