Canadiens’ Mike Matheson fined for roughing Senators’ Ridly Greig
A veteran’s actions are forcing him to pay up a few bucks heading into the regular season.
On Sunday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson has been fined $5,000 for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig.
The incident occurred on the final night of the preseason, Saturday night, in one of the two chippy games between the Senators and Canadiens. Just past the halfway mark of the second period, Greig and Matheson were battling in front of the Habs net when Greig threw a cross-check to Matheson’s face. After collecting himself off the ice, Matheson retaliated by knocking down Greig with a punch before jumping on the Sens regular and giving him a couple of more shots, starting a small melee.
Both players received minor penalties in the game, though there has been no supplemental discipline announced against Greig.
The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement. The payment goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
This isn’t the first time Matheson has received punishment from the Department of Player Safety. This is the third time he has been fined for his actions. As a member of the Florida Panthers, he was fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment in April 2018, as well as another $2,500 during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs for high-sticking then-New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson. He was also suspended for two games in October 2018 for his dirty hit on Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson.
Matheson is heading into his fifth season as a member of the Habs. He has been a solid two-way presence for a team now expected to challenge for the Atlantic Division title. He’s posted four consecutive 30-point seasons, including notching 37 points in 78 games last year, before adding another four points in 19 postseason contests.
The 32-year-old is beginning the first year of his five-year contract extension, which he signed last November. The deal carries a cap hit of $6 million through the 2030-31 campaign.
