Ridly Greig finally breaks his silence on the Morgan Rielly altercation and reveals something shocking
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Just about everyone has spoken their mind about the infamous Morgan Rielly/Ridly Greig incident from last Saturday's 5-3 win for the Ottawa Senators over the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Greig firing a full-on slapshot into the empty net and Morgan Rielly taking exception and clipping Greig in the head with a cross-check that glanced up off of his shoulder, fans on both sides had plenty to say about it and the debate has raged on throughout the week. However, for the amount of people who have offered their opinions on the matter, we had yet to hear from the two who were involved, as both Greig and Rielly were not made available for immediate comment.
On Wednesday, Greig broke his silence on the matter and spoke with the media publicly for the first time since the event. He told the media in Ottawa that he really didn't think about the consequences of his actions at the time and that the level of adrenaline was what really had kicked off the chaotic turn of events.
"Just a lot of adrenaline. Just the heat of the moment, the heat of the game. It was an emotional game. Just got a breakaway and just thought I'd bury it."
When asked whether the volume of Leaf fans that had taken over Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa had anything to do with the play or whether he was sending a message to the Leafs or their fans, Greig told the media that he wasn't sure how much that factored in, but did confirm that it didn't feel too good to see all of those blue jerseys in the crowd.
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"It definitely doesn't feel good when the fans are 75% Leafs fans, but I don't know if that factored in or not."
Perhaps the most intriguing point in Greig's media availability on Wednesday came when he confirmed that Rielly's cross-check that connected with his head may have actually been accidental, riding up his shoulder. He was asked whether or not he was caught off guard by Rielly pursuing him after the goal and provided a very candid response.
"Yeah, a little bit. I don't think you're ever expecting a guy to come cross-check you in the face, but I'm also not sure if he meant to do that."
When pressed for comment about how he felt about the 5-game suspension for Rielly, the young forward opted not to answer.
"That's for the league to decide."
One has to wonder whether or not Greig's comments on the matter and him admitting that he felt as though Rielly's cross-check to the head may have been accidental might actually help Rielly in his appeal of the 5-game suspension. It's not often that we see a suspension reduced, but perhaps NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will take Greig's comments into his account when he makes his ruling.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL |
15 FEVRIER | 1065 ANSWERS Ridly Greig finally breaks his silence on the Morgan Rielly altercation and reveals something shocking Do you think the league should reduce Rielly's suspension, given that even Ridly Greig thought it might have been accidental head contact? |
| Yes, reduce it to 2 games | 711 | 66.8 % |
| Yes, reduce it to 3 games | 303 | 28.5 % |
| Yes, reduce it to 4 games | 51 | 4.8 % |
| 5 games is still the right call | 0 | 0 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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