Ryan Reaves Shares A Concerning Comment On The State Of Hockey

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Julien Trekker
February 12, 2024 (4:47 PM)

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On Saturday night's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, an incident involving Morgan Rielly and Ridley Greig caused a major stir.

Morgan Rielly Lands Dirty Hit on Ridley Greig After Empty-Net Goal and Faces Major Suspension

With only a few seconds remaining in the third period, the Leafs went all-in and removed their goalie for a sixth skater. The Senators ended up scoring in the empty net, but they did it in a controversial way. Ridley Greig was alone in front of the net and decided to do a slap shot, only a few feet from the goal.

Leafs' defenseman Morgan Rielly didn't appreciate at all. He went over to Greig and dangerously hit him as he was skating back to the bench.

Check it out:

The NHL announced that Rielly will have an in-person hearing, meaning that he will be suspended six games or more.

His teammate Ryan Reaves shared his opinion on the incident and the hearing.

Maple Leafs' Ryan Reaves Shares his Bold Stance on Rielly's Hearing and the Violence in Hockey

Reaves, renowned for his old-school style, is no stranger to the changes in the physical aspect of the sport. He talked about Rielly's hit and made a brutal comment in a recent interview.

Per Chris Johnston:

"Ryan Reaves, on the Ridly Greig empty-net slapshot: "If you rewind to when I came into the league he's probably still laying on the ice. I thought (Morgan Rielly's response) was appropriate. I don't see how a kid that young thinks it's appropriate to do something like that."

David Alter added:

"Ryan Reaves candidly about his thoughts on the Rielly hearing, says he was surprised it got to that level and it's a different game than he grew up in.

"Make hockey violent again, a tattoo I should get."

This is a major statement. Reaves is publicly advocating for the sport to get more violent, which doesn't correlate with the NHL's stance.

Do you agree with Reaves?