Leafs’ Rielly talks cross-check and 5-game suspension appeal

Time cools tempers.

When Morgan Rielly finally addressed his cross-check to the head of Ridly Greig and his ensuing five-game suspension and his failed appeal to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, 11 days had passed since the incident. 

The wave of opinion pieces and online arguments over the justification of violent retribution for taking a full-cocked slapshot into an empty net, hockey’s version of flipping another man the bird and daring him to snap your finger, had mostly washed away.

So, it was not all that surprising Wednesday, as the Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 defenceman held court outside the Mullett Arena visitors’ dressing room, that Rielly was calm and measured when discussing the heated reaction that earned him his first call to the mat by the league’s department of player safety.

“It was just a reactionary thing. I felt like I just wanted to address something. Obviously, it got away from me. It was not intended to be executed the way it was,” Rielly said. “It’s been an opportunity to learn and grow a little bit.”

Rielly is grateful that Toronto’s game Wednesday against the Coyotes will mark his final one watching from distance. He feels encouraged by the support he received from the organization during the process; GM Brad Treliving and President Brendan Shanahan both flew with Rielly to New York to argue his case Friday.

He’s thankful for the support and understanding he’s received by teammates past and present while serving his time. And he believes the group has playing “outstanding” without him.

He’s also raring to get back into action Thursday in Las Vegas and is not overly interested in rehashing the past.

“At that point, it’s kind of out of your control,” Rielly said of the ban. “We appealed, and that’s about all you can do. Obviously, we were trying to get it down because I wanted to get back on the ice, but the league made a decision and you just got to live with it.”

In Bettman’s decision to uphold his department’s five-game suspension, the commissioner writes that Greig’s slapshot was “utterly irrelevant” to Rielly’s cross-check.

“I didn’t convince them of anything,” Rielly said.

While at least a couple of teammates believe frustration over Toronto’s lacklustre 5-3 loss to the likely lottery-bound Senators contributed to Rielly’s uncharacteristic response, Rielly himself says the cross-check had nothing to do with an issue with anyone on the Sens nor the outcome of the game.

Auston Matthews says the club is “obviously a bit disappointed” Rielly was unable to shave a game off his original ban. We’re told the topic hasn’t been a major talking point in the dressing room now that the club has gone 4-0 in Rielly’s absence and Bettman’s call is final.

“In the end, it’s out of our control,” Matthews said. “We’re just gonna keep fighting and keep battling for him. And once he’s able to come back tomorrow, he’s gonna be ready to play. He’s gonna be excited to get back in our lineup, and he’s gonna be a big boost for us too — just because of who he is, the kind of person, the kind of player he is and what he means to this team, what he brings his team.”

While costly to Rielly’s bank account and rep with the DoPS, the silver lining for the Leafs here is that the defensive depth rallied and their most-used skater got some rest. 

Moreover, the player’s emotional response has resonated with his teammates.

“I guess that’s the way [Greig] wanted to send a message, and I’m glad Rielly responded to it,” Nick Robertson said. “I think we were just kind of annoyed. We were not happy with that scenario.

“He’s definitely a guy who cares. He’s been here the longest. It’s good to see guys show emotion like that. You know, it shows that he cares. 

“He’s just such a big leader in a locker room, too. Like for me last season, he stood up for me when I got hit pretty good. And he fought. So, as talented as he is, he’s willing to sacrifice his usual style of just skill. He’ll get in there and he’ll stand up for guys. It wasn’t just that he was mad that [Greig] did it. He stood up for our team. That’s something that a leader does.

“The benefiting factor is knowing that obviously he cares the most. He’s willing to do those things.”

Rielly will make his return against Vegas Thursday and Colorado Saturday, the two most recent Stanley Cup champions.

“You’re right back into the mix against some good teams,” Rielly said. “But the team’s been playing outstanding last four games. So, for me, it’s important that I come back and I’m able to kind of slide in there and play well and help the team.”