What Greig did was disrespectful.

What Reilly did was an assault. It is a violation under the criminal code. League lawyers understand they need to come down hard on Reilly and similar cases if they want to retain exclusive control over the disciplinary process.

This is a far bigger issue than the hurt feelings of Leaf players and fans.

It is true that Ridley Greig disrespects the Leafs and their fans. You are just going to have to learn how to live with it.
- spatso

Tell us more about your knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Every time a player pushes, shoves, face washes, punches or sticks another player by definition of the Criminal Code this is an assault. Each fight is an assault, each slash is an assault, each butt end is an assault.

Reilly shouldn't have done what he did, he was right to push back against Grieg, just not in the way he did. Grieg shouldn't have done what he did, he'll be paying for it for some time I'm sure.

If indeed this means that much to leafs nation as you outlined. Then the team and its fans are mental midgets who's all star success a few weeks back is their peak.

How about playing with that same passion for the prior 59 minutes? There is a good chance you don't lose the game.

Mathews is an amazing talent, but until he develops the passion to win, like Stamkos and Ovi did, he will just be entertainment. He does not have to fight or play outside of himself, but at some point, he has to drop them and stand up for something.

This is what the leafs lack. Marner has more balls then all of them, but weighs a buck o five.
- TrueGrit

You mean that passion Matthews showed when he fought Stamkos in the playoffs last year?

Yes, the Leafs lack toughness and pushback. What Reilly did was exactly that, pushback. High stick or not hopefully he's showing the rest of the team that they shouldn't tolerate disrespect.

Marner does not have balls. Have you watched him play in the playoffs? Did you see the game on Saturday when, after Reilly did what he did, he stood around outside the scrum and didn't even engage anyone? That's not balls man.

Auston Matthews is not a problem for this Leafs team.

You mean that passion Matthews showed when he fought Stamkos in the playoffs last year?

Yes, the Leafs lack toughness and pushback. What Reilly did was exactly that, pushback. High stick or not hopefully he's showing the rest of the team that they shouldn't tolerate disrespect.

Marner does not have balls. Have you watched him play in the playoffs? Did you see the game on Saturday when, after Reilly did what he did, he stood around outside the scrum and didn't even engage anyone? That's not balls man.

Auston Matthews is not a problem for this Leafs team.
- Kinger34

LOL, Stamkos rag dolled Mathews who looked like he was trying to run away.

Reilly's move was dumb. If that is push back, then you guys are in trouble. You lost to one of the worst teams in hockey. He should have been cross checking his teammates in the head.

Too soft. He should have skated up to him and said,”Reaves is coming and hell’s coming with him.”
- Minnyhock

and Hell is bringing some friends with him

what Reilly did was the equivalent of driving the other car off the road...
- stefano76

it happens

please Spatso... in your seemingly infinite wisdom - convey to all of here how the Rielly cross check was worse than the Trouba stick swinging?


I won't hold my breath.

- BorjeFan4Ever

or getting speared in the gonads ouchy

My god if the Leafs win the cup it will ruin some of your summers

Hilarious how bothered some of you are by the Leafs

deep breaths
- Santo_44

I have more chance of winning the powerball, but ok !

Rest of season at least. Hit was after the whistle, he chased him down and cross checked him in the head.

Rest of season at least. Hit was after the whistle, he chased him down and cross checked him in the head.
- twotoekenn

Almost sounds predatory, unlike some of the incidents that Leaf fans are comparing it to.

LOL, Stamkos rag dolled Mathews who looked like he was trying to run away.

Reilly's move was dumb. If that is push back, then you guys are in trouble. You lost to one of the worst teams in hockey. He should have been cross checking his teammates in the head.
- TrueGrit

You're talking out of both sides of your mouth here. You say he lacks passion, when I counter that with evidence that he doesn't you move the goal posts.

You're a Blackhawks fan.....a fan of the team who covered up the sexual assault of a player, a fan of the team who had to terminate the contract of a player this year for bad behaviour, a fan of the team who sits dead last in the NHL. I'm not sure you're qualified to speak about the Leafs.

The high level of activation this is causing in Leaf haters is really enjoyable.

Look this is all about Leaf fans being frustrated by their far too soft line up of players.

Leafs have no physical edge to their game.

They simply are not very good at pushing back. When the Leafs try to retaliate they get whacked by the league because the response comes from a single player acting alone. Because the Leafs are so soft it appears to be an extreme response filling the highlight reel. i

Morgan Reilly had to respond to Greig because he purposely disrespected the Leafs. But, nobody else did anything. Nobody expected any Leaf to do anything.

If Matthews, Marner and Neilandlander had all taken a poke at Greig there would have been a few penalties with nothing else to talk about. The Leafs are too soft. It does not matter in the regular season...but, it is huge in the playoffs.

Everybody needs to understand that Greig exposed the soft belly of the Leafs. Other teams will do the same. And the Leafs won't do anything about it.

Agreed. However, the F’ing instigator rule, and its exponential penalties, invite this type of behavior. Get rid of it, and let the players settle cheap sh!t by dropping the gloves, or taking a beatdown. No one likes a punch in the face. It’s the greatest deterrence for dumb sh!t in the history of man!!
- Hokeeguy9

Agreed about the instigator rule in general but it was not an issue in this case. The extra minor was irrelevant at that point in the game and only comes with a suspension after the third instigator penalty of the year for that player. Clearly Rielly is not in danger of reaching that number.

Agreed. However, the F’ing instigator rule, and its exponential penalties, invite this type of behavior. Get rid of it, and let the players settle cheap sh!t by dropping the gloves, or taking a beatdown. No one likes a punch in the face. It’s the greatest deterrence for dumb sh!t in the history of man!!
- Hokeeguy9

I think the visor mandate killed fighting much more than the instigator rule. The instigator rule was instituted way back in 1992 and there were plenty of fights from then until about 2013, when visors were mandated.

Marginal players/fighters/goons/etc. don't want to risk breaking their hands on a guy's visor because in their case being out 4-6 weeks could mean the end of their NHL career. Top line and pairing players don't want to because them being out that long could mean the difference between their team making or missing the playoffs.

Now the league could allow for a way for a player to issue a challenge to another player, announcing it over the PA system of the arena. Then if the other player accepts both have to take off their helmets, thus eliminating the chance of breaking a hand on a visor. So in this case Reilly would issue a challenge to Greig, having it announced over the PA system. If Greig turns it down he does so in front of his team and thousands of Sens fans in attendance. Of course the refs would have to use their discretion to filter out bogus challenges, like someone like Lucic wanting to beat up on the smallest player on the other team or a goon wanting to beat up the star players of another team for no reason other than to get them off the ice.

Of course the league is never going to do this, though . I guess it wants to avoid the sport resembling pro wrestling or really (because that is fake) something like more the Coliseum of ancient Rome.

Look this is all about Leaf fans being frustrated by their far too soft line up of players.

Leafs have no physical edge to their game.

They simply are not very good at pushing back. When the Leafs try to retaliate they get whacked by the league because the response comes from a single player acting alone. Because the Leafs are so soft it appears to be an extreme response filling the highlight reel. i

Morgan Reilly had to respond to Greig because he purposely disrespected the Leafs. But, nobody else did anything. Nobody expected any Leaf to do anything.

If Matthews, Marner and Neilandlander had all taken a poke at Greig there would have been a few penalties with nothing else to talk about. The Leafs are too soft. It does not matter in the regular season...but, it is huge in the playoffs.

Everybody needs to understand that Greig exposed the soft belly of the Leafs. Other teams will do the same. And the Leafs won't do anything about it.
- spatso

You’ve got to be the biggest chode in this site. And that’s saying something

Rielly gets 12 years in federal prison.
Keefe gets fired and banned from hockey.
Nasem Kadri gets 12 games. Because.

🤣

Almost sounds predatory, unlike some of the incidents that Leaf fans are comparing it to.
- Reubenkincade

Reminds me of Dale hunter going after Pierre turgeon in 93.

Rielly gets 12 years in federal prison.
Keefe gets fired and banned from hockey.
Nasem Kadri gets 12 games. Because.

🤣
- .HOHO.

Did the playoffs start already?

Did the playoffs start already?
- eichiefs9

Well played.

Look this is all about Leaf fans being frustrated by their far too soft line up of players.

Leafs have no physical edge to their game.

They simply are not very good at pushing back. When the Leafs try to retaliate they get whacked by the league because the response comes from a single player acting alone. Because the Leafs are so soft it appears to be an extreme response filling the highlight reel. i

Morgan Reilly had to respond to Greig because he purposely disrespected the Leafs. But, nobody else did anything. Nobody expected any Leaf to do anything.

If Matthews, Marner and Neilandlander had all taken a poke at Greig there would have been a few penalties with nothing else to talk about. The Leafs are too soft. It does not matter in the regular season...but, it is huge in the playoffs.

Everybody needs to understand that Greig exposed the soft belly of the Leafs. Other teams will do the same. And the Leafs won't do anything about it.
- spatso

We are all dumber for having read this post.

4 games...maybe 5. Bush-league move by Greig that warranted a response, and while it does not look like Rielly intended to hit him in the head (stick slid up the shoulder, as others have pointed out), he did, so suspension it is.

You’ve got to be the biggest chode in this site. And that’s saying something
- westcoastleaf

Hahahahhahahhaha, amen. Amen…

Seems like the kind of person who shows up to a keg party that he wasn’t invited to with a bottle of wine

And is 68 years old but somehow still lives in his childhood home

All you geeks do is whine about Toronto
- westcoastleaf

Sure.

Morgan Rielly and classy player should not be used in the same sentence now...a non hockey play, selfish attack on a player who just scored a goal and I also would have cranked that baby in the net...and this luminary who said the kid got up and skated away what bu$$sh&&...I would be happy with 10 games and like I sais a non hockey play with 5 seconds left.

Coming from a Canucks fan. Hilarious!
- westcoastleaf

I have to speak up on this one...

I have REALLY disliked and been very hard on the Canucks and especially the fans for decades, but not this year's team. I was so jealous when they hired Tocchet and it's obvious the impact he has made. This is a team that works hard, plays for each other and has built some solid character. The Leafs (and my Oilers) could learn a lot from Vancouver's turnaround this year. We met Boeser, Miller, Hughes, and Petterson at the Allstar game and these guys are really good guys, driven, and looking to win for each other.

I have disliked the Canucks for years and they really have a team this year. I don't blame their fans for being a little over-confident, they have waited a long time. (longest in pro sports or something like that, no?)

I have to speak up on this one...

I have REALLY disliked and been very hard on the Canucks and especially the fans for decades, but not this year's team. I was so jealous when they hired Tocchet and it's obvious the impact he has made. This is a team that works hard, plays for each other and has built some solid character. The Leafs (and my Oilers) could learn a lot from Vancouver's turnaround this year. We met Boeser, Miller, Hughes, and Petterson at the Allstar game and these guys are really good guys, driven, and looking to win for each other.

I have disliked the Canucks for years and they really have a team this year. I don't blame their fans for being a little over-confident, they have waited a long time. (longest in pro sports or something like that, no?)
- JLO961

I have no issue with the team. Truth be told I quite like this incarnation of the Canucks myself. But I live in BC and the fan base, for the most part, is awful.