There are two ways to view Morgan Rielly’s confronting Ridly Greig at the end of Saturday’s game in Ottawa.
Either you think Rielly was out of line for charging Greig after he wound up for a slap shot into an empty net with seconds left in regulation. Or, conversely, you believe Rielly was right to stand up for his team in what was a clear bit of taunting (and poor sportsmanship).
There are valid arguments to be had on either side.
I lean toward the latter, that Rielly was right to do something. Was letting his stick get up around Greig’s head a mistake? Yes. Was it a heat-of-the-moment reaction? Yes. (The NFL has taunting penalties for a reason.)
It would have been weird to do nothing. To watch Greig show up the Toronto Maple Leafs in that spot and just let it pass. What would the reaction have been had that been the case? Same old Leafs, right? Rielly, and the team as a whole, would have been hammered for not pushing back, for not standing up for themselves.
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Imo Rielly was wrong. As you said Greig would have been assessed a penalty anyway.
The issue is that this is a group of men playing a game, and I am wondering why we should be thinking it’s cool for them to act like school aged boys who have zero self-control.
If NHL players want the benefits that come with playing in a professional league, making far more money than most of the fans, and commanding respect for their talent … the cost is to act like an adult.
What Greig did was just as childish … but Rielly used the same poor judgment by attacking him.
The difference is Grieg was poor sportsmanship, Rielly was intent to injure. Simple as that.
To me they were both juvenile choices. “Man up” doesn’t always have to mean stand your ground.
Rielly crosschecks Greig in the face after the play
Leafs fans: how could Greig do this
Only the old heads
Most people think it’s stupid, the taunting is good for the league, the blood sport isn’t
