TEMPE, Ariz.—Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly broke his silence regarding the five-game suspension he earned by cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig to the head.
And he took the high road.
“There’s lots to be learned,” Rielly said Wednesday. “I feel like I had a lot of support from the organization. The experience has been a new one. I’m grateful it’s almost over.”
The final game of the suspension was Wednesday night against the Coyotes. He’s eligible to return Thursday against the defending champion Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
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The supplemental discipline was the first of Rielly’s career.
“I don’t think I need to get into it too much. It was just a reactionary thing,” Rielly said of the cross-check. “I felt like I just wanted to address something, and obviously it got away from me. It was not intended to to be executed the way it was. The rest is history. It’s been an opportunity to learn and grow a little bit. I’m looking forward to getting back on the ice.”
And he took his case all the way through the appeals process to commissioner Gary Bettman, who upheld the initial five-game punishment in an 11-page ruling.
“It is what it is,” said Rielly. “At that point it’s out of your control. We appealed, and I think that’s about all you can do. So, obviously we were trying to get it down, because I want to get back on the ice. But the league made the decision, and you’ve just got to live with it.”
Kevin McGran is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow
him on Bluesky @kevinmcgran
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