Ridly Greig will learn his fate to start next season on Monday.
The Ottawa Senators’ winger is scheduled to have his virtual hearing with the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety for his sucker punch to the head of Sean Walker of the Carolina Hurricanes during the club’s 4-2 loss in Game 4 last Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Since the Senators were eliminated from the playoffs in a sweep by the Hurricanes and Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, left for Europe almost immediately after the series, Greig’s hearing was delayed.
Greig can’t serve the suspension until the start of next year.
The hockey world was incensed after Greig punched Walker while he was being gripped by Ottawa’s Warren Foegele during a melee in the second period after Tyler Kleven hit Carolina defenceman Alexander Nikishin so hard that he suffered a concussion.
Foegele had Walker in a headlock at the time.
“I have to do a better job controlling my emotions,” Greig said, following the club’s exiting meetings on Monday. “That’s all I will say about it.”
Greig will be suspended, which means he won’t be able to start the 2026-27 regular season on time. The hearing won’t be in person, which means Greig won’t be able to receive more than five games.
This isn’t a surprise. Walker did get payback later in the game, but if the officials had seen Greig’s sucker punch, he likely wouldn’t have been in the game.
Ottawa Senator Ridly Greig talking to the media at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa Monday.
So, what will Greig get?
This isn’t Greig’s first infraction. He was suspended for two games to start the 2021-22 campaign after he cross-checked Pierre-Luc Dubois, then of the Winnipeg Jets, during a pre-season game. He was for one game to finish the exhibition season and the first game of the year.
The betting money in NHL circles is on Greig, 23, getting two or three games from George Parros, the league’s head of player safety. There was some talk immediately after the incident that Greig might not get any punishment at all, but the outrage about the punch has been next level.
The response was visceral.
“This was gutless and disgusting,” Hockey Night in Canada’s Kelly Hrudey told the audience following the game last Saturday. “That is so dirty for Ridly Greig. That’s just awful.”
Hrudey even applauded Walker hitting Greig from behind later in the game.
“I love that when a guy gets retribution,” said Hrudey. “If you’re going to do that, then you deserve that back.”
Former Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa wasn’t sure he liked Greig getting hit from behind by Walker, but he didn’t like the original incident, either.
“There has to be some honour in hockey,” said Bieksa.
Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters that the incident with Greig is why the person supervising the series for the NHL should be allowed to speak with the officials.
“We need to look at it way more seriously,” Brind’Amour said. “No. 1 is the safety of players. The only reason that guy (Greig) did that is because he looked and no one is watching. He doesn’t get called for it and we somehow end up shorthanded on that … that’s wrong.
“Just get it right.”
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