NHL hammers Morgan Rielly with harsh suspension for retaliatory cross check

Moments ago, the decision officially came down from the NHL Department of Player Safety to suspend Leafs' defenceman Morgan Rielly for five games. In Saturday night's game against the Senators, Rielly delivered a forceful cross check to the face of forward Ridly Greig in response to him scoring a cocky empty net goal.

The Department of Player Safety, run by former enforcer George Parros, specifically touched on the retaliatory nature of the cross check, and the fact that it occurred after the whistle had gone. These factors, along with the forceful contact directly to the head of Greig, all contributed in the decision to suspend Rielly for five games.




The entire play has sparked a philosophical debate around hockey, about whether Greig's actions warranted a response from the Leafs. Greig was showing off to the fans and taunting the Leafs by slapping the puck into the empty net to win the game, and some older hockey players and fans see that as disrespectful and warranting a response. For others, Greig was well within his rights to show off, and the Leafs are unjust to respond to it.

Regardless of where you stand on whether Greig's slap shot deserved a response, Rielly's cross check to the head is viscious and predatory, and it is a suspend-able play. The verdict of six games of a suspensions is in line with David Perron's suspension earlier this year, and clearly shows the league is taking cross-checks and retaliatory plays far more seriously. Now we'll just have to see if that remains consistent in the playoffs, or if once again, the rules will completely change and leave hockey fans confused and frustrated with player safety.