Insider reveals why Claude Giroux was upset with teammate Ridly Greig for showboating against Leafs

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Mike Armenti
February 12, 2024 (12:10)

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Sens assistant captain Claude Giroux unhappy with teammate

Photo credit: NHL

By now, everyone has had their say regarding the infamous Morgan Rielly/Ridly Greig debacle, but in case you just came out of a coma or returned from some sort of an under sea voyage, let me sum it up for you as best I can. Ridly Greig took a full on slap shot into an empty Leafs net on a clear-cut breakaway in a game they had already won and Morgan Rielly made him pay for his disrespectful behaviour in the form of a stiff cross-check to the shoulder that rode up and clipped Greig hard in the head.

Following the ordeal, Rielly earned himself a meeting with the Department of Player Safety, as everyone expected. The problem is that it was an in-person hearing rather than a phone hearing, which means that Rielly could find himself with a suspension in excess of 5 games.

This morning on Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek's podcast, 32 Thoughts, the pair discussed the comments made by Sens veteran forward Claude Giroux, pointing out the fact that it didn't look like Giroux was overly impressed with what Greig did, nor with how Rielly had responded. It led to a very interesting conversation.

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"Claude Giroux, as we all know, a veteran hockey player, been around, seen a lot of things, understands the game within the game... He was really reluctant to comment much on this at all. I came away from watching that on Saturday night and saying I don't think that Claude Giroux was cool at all with what Ridly Greig did. He wasn't cool with what Morgan Rielly did afterwards. Maybe he understood it from an old-school point of view, but he didn't want to bury a teammate. To me, that was one of the most compelling things I've seen on hockey TV all season long." - Marek on Giroux's comments on Saturday night

Friedman suggested that he had a pretty good sense of why Giroux wasn't too fond of what Greig did and understood Rielly's reaction a little more. Obviously, Giroux, as a veteran guy, has seen it all in his career. He also learned from one of the most revered and fearsome players of all-time - Hall-of-Famer Chris Pronger - which is why his reaction to the whole thing seemed a bit more muted. As Friedman pointed out, if Greig had tried that while Chris Pronger was on the ice, it wouldn't have been a pretty picture.

"When Claude Giroux played in Philadelphia, who was their leader?.. It was Chris Pronger, and if that had happened and Chris Pronger was on the ice, what do you think Pronger would have done? Never mind an in-person hearing, it might have been a felony if Chris Pronger had been playing.

When you talk about Giroux there, and knowing that Giroux was a Pronger disciple, he played for the Flyers.. If that happened against Philadelphia, like I said, there would be ambulances at the arena... Gritty would be led out in handcuffs if somebody did that against the Flyers.

Look - I have been a player in a game nowhere near as high-stakes as this, who has gotten angry in a tough, tough game - a really competitive game - when you feel that somebody is showboating you, right? It doesn't excuse going past the line, but I understand how it happens." - Friedman on understanding why Giroux wasn't pleased with either side

Granted, today's game is a lot different than it was in Pronger's heyday, but players pass down certain things to other players - lessons that stay with the next generation long after they're gone. There's a lot of talk about the different codes in hockey, unwritten rules. Greig broke one of those unwritten rules on Saturday and Rielly, who also came up with some nasty customers in Toronto over the years, was simply holding Greig accountable for breaking the code. Was a line crossed? Yes. Is a suspension warranted? Yes. Is an in-person hearing a bit much? Also yes.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Insider says four intriguing new names being linked to the Maple Leafs

Insider questions Player Safety's decision-making in Rielly case due to unfair comparison

Insider makes bold claim about the Leafs as we approach the trade deadline

POLL
12 FEVRIER \| 1537 ANSWERS Insider reveals why Claude Giroux was upset with teammate Ridly Greig for showboating against Leafs Do you think Ridly Greig will ever disrespectfully slapshot a puck into an empty net during a game again in his NHL career?
Never. He learned his lesson the hard way	710	46.2 %
Yes, he seems like an idiot who would do it again	646	42 %
I honestly have no idea	181	11.8 %
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