‘Make hockey violent again’: Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves responds to Morgan Rielly-Ridly Greig incident

Ryan Reaves had no issue with how Morgan Rielly responded to Ridly Greig taking a slap shot into an empty net during the Ottawa Senators’ 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday.

The 37-year-old Reaves, who has two goals and 20 penalty minutes in 25 games this season, was his usual candid self when he spoke to reporters on Monday.

When asked about the incident, Reaves thought back to when he entered the league back in 2010-11.

“If you rewind to when I came into the league, he’s probably sitll laying on the ice,” Reaves said, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston. “I thought (Rielly’s response) was appropriate. I don’t see how a kid that young thinks it’s appropriate to do something like that.”

When asked if Rielly could have taken a less aggressive approach, Reaves didn’t hold back.

“(A) guy takes a clapper on an empty net … you don’t play patty-cake with him,” Reaves said, according to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby.

Reaves continued, saying it’s a different game than the one he grew up in.

“Make hockey violent again, a tattoo I should get,” he said, according to The Hockey news’ David Alter.

The incident has caused quite a bit of discussion among fans and pundits, with some wondering if Rielly’s crosscheck was a violent overreaction, or if it was the right response to what some deem as unsportsmanlike on Greig’s behalf.

On Sunday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Rielly will have an in-person hearing for the incident, and will be eligible to be suspended for five games or more.