Sens' Greig: 'Got a breakaway and thought I'd bury it'
Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig addressed Saturday's incident with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly for the first time following his team's win Tuesday.
"Just a lot of adrenaline," Greig said of his decision to score on the empty net with a slap shot, per TSN. "Just the heat of the moment, heat of the game. It was an emotional game. Just got a breakaway and thought I'd bury it."
Greig was unsure if Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre being filled with Maple Leafs fans impacted his decision. "It definitely doesn't feel good when the fans are 75% Leafs fans, but I don't know if that factored in or not."
Rielly took exception to how Greig scored the empty-netter and cross-checked him after the play.
Ridly Greig buries the empty-netter with a slapshot and Morgan Rielly takes exception 😳 pic.twitter.com/6NISK4AMSt
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 11, 2024
The Maple Leafs defender was suspended five games Tuesday as a result after an in-person hearing.
The Senators rookie admitted Rielly's reaction caught him a bit off guard.
"I don't think you're ever expecting a guy to come cross-check you in the face," Greig said. "But I'm also not sure if he meant to do that."
The incident has garnered significant attention, but the 21-year-old has done his best to avoid the debate.
"I've tried to stay offline the past couple days," Greig said. "Everybody's gonna have an opinion on it. Probably either gonna love it or hate it. Doesn't matter to me."
Greig noted the ovation he received from Senators fans during Tuesday's game was "pretty, pretty cool."