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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly finds himself in hot water with the NHL Department of Player Safety following the Ottawa Senators game on Tuesday. Rielly has been handed a five-game suspension and will forfeit $195,312.50 in pay.
Rielly was suspended for clubbing Ottawa forward Ridly Greig on the head during the closing moments of the 5-3 defeat to the Senators. The violent act happened right after Greig scored an empty-net goal, leading to Rielly getting kicked out of the game.
The plan was for New York to host Rielly's disciplinary hearing in person, but a snowstorm forced it to shift to an online setup.
Rielly has been a standout for the Maple Leafs but he will have to sit it out until Feb. 22.
The swift docking of close to $200,000 marked how seriously the NHL views its players' conduct and safety.
Analyst condemns Morgan Rielly's cross-check, calls suspension justified
NHL analyst Craig Button didn't mince words when discussing Morgan Rielly's controversial cross-check.
Rielly's actions led to a five-game suspension, drawing sharp criticism from Button.
"The act of cross-checking somebody in the head can never be defended under any circumstances."
He emphasized the lack of justification for such a move regardless of the emotions involved.
Drawing comparisons to previous suspensions in the league, Button highlighted the severity of Rielly's actions.
He referenced David Perron's six-game suspension for a similar incident, noting that Rielly's cross-check was even more egregious, as it occurred outside the flow of play.
Button stressed that regardless of any perceived provocation from Greig's unconventional goal, Rielly's response was unacceptable:
"Certainly it doesn't warrant a cross-check to the head. And there's nothing that should put a player ... into that situation. And certainly Morgan Rielly is going to pay a price."
