Would recommend listening to the full segment
https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/the-battle-of-ontario-is-back-baby/
Talks about the suspension length for the first 5 minutes with comparable, and again talks about how he expected 2-4 games at the 13 minute mark. He genuinely seems shocked by the in person hearing.
Also talks about fan bias at about the 8 minute mark, and at the 11 minute mark says “There are a lot of people on twitter and social media saying ‘ah it’s just a slapshot to an empty net, what’s the big deal’, and I see some of these people go into rages when somebody sends a mildly critical tweet at them. Don’t tell you’re going to handle it any better than Rielly did come on.” LMAO
Would love to hear all of your thoughts on this.
by TorontoIndieFan
33 Comments
Another thing Friedman said was that he heard the Leafs organization is furious about the in-person hearing
I dont know why he’s surprised. Rielly is a leaf the book is always thrown at them
Everyone knows 0 precedent is set until a Leaf then it’s time for Parros to awaken because his brain damage only reacts to the word Leafs.
Despite similar crosschecks going unpunished all the time, and despite Rielly being the definition of a first time offender, he’s going to get suspended for like 6 games because he’s on the Leafs and it drew a lot of attention
The fact that they spoke about it for 25 minutes is exactly why it’s an in person. If it was Jacques Strapp from Minnesota who did it, he wouldn’t have gotten a major. Leafs are the centre of the hockey universe – for good or bad.
How can anyone be surprised. The NHL DOPS has consistently treated Leaf players more harshly than other teams.
Let’s be honest, an old school tough guy like Parros, who has a clothing line ‘violent gentlemen’ most certainly agrees with most former players on understanding Rielly’s reaction.
My thoughts are either his hatred of the Leafs burns so deep he just can’t help himself, or he is being pressured by others who are clutching their pearls as hockey media has done.
I am sure a part of it is anything less than the max punishment will have the athletic clutching their pearls about how they don’t take cte seriously and don’t protect their players and whatever other crap they can spew to generate clicks from the people addicted to being outraged.
This should be 2 games like what Matthews got. Hit upper body that rode up into the head, no injury. Instead like usual, they will make an example because they are the Leafs and they try so hard to not appear biased for us they are biased against us.
Also lost respect for Friedman @ the department of safety like a weasel in real time.
It’ll be the longest suspension this year, or at the very least, tied with Perron at 6 games. And honestly, who in the world is surprised in the least? You knew when this happened, Rielly was getting the book thrown at him.
It happens almost every time a Leaf is on the offensive side of something like this.
Edit: Pinto got 41 games but we won’t discuss that…
Friedman massively contributed to the rage baiting by tweeting directly at player safety about it, something he’s never done for any other incident in the league, so he can fuck off.
From the way people are speaking about this it seems like greig had died on the hit, like what is going on?
The actual crosscheck is similar to the one Matthews gave Dahlin and got 2 games for. Given that they’ve had more of a focus on these plays recently and that this one wasn’t in the middle of a confrontation during the play like Matthews was, I could rationalize 4, maybe 5 games. However, it’ll probably be like 8 games. I do think the leafs will appeal the ruling though
Why is this different than cross checks that happen in every game? In this case buddy saw the hit coming. The ones in the front of the net are usually to the back. Should everyone get suspended?
I’m baffled too, when ignoring the DoPS Leafs bias.
One thing no one seems to talk about is how Rielly hits Greig’s shoulder first, and Greig instinctivey defends himself with his hand which seems to cause Rielly’s stick to ride up into his face.
Before you accuse me of victim blaming here, I strongly believe Rielly is responsible for his stick and the outcome of that play and should be suspended a game or two given that there’s plausible deniability of his intentions. Given Rielly’s clean record, and Greig not being injured on the play, it’s absolutely bonkers that they’re going to make an example out of him.
The number of dangerous plays that go un-penalized, un-fined and un-suspended compared to this play is bullshit. We don’t want players to get away with their aggressions, we just want consistency.
It’s weird. LEAFS fans have said for years that Bettman and the league are against them. Everyone else chalked it up to whining and conspiracy theories. Now even the “experts” are baffled. The league judges the Leafs different than any other team. One day the fans will figure it out and stop funding this debauchery. Maybe if the NHL’s cash cow dries up, things will change
Name a more embarrassing thing that the DoPS clear bias against Toronto.
Garbage league. I’ve lost a lot of interest in the last couple years with just how inconsistent everything is.
It’s not fun when the cards are stacked against them. From scheduling, to salary cap, to officiating, and suspensions. It’s just a drain.
Leafs jersey means 3 minimum
They’ll give him 6. He’ll appeal and get a couple games knocked off but not before serving all 6
[[Simmons] A five or six game suspension for a career non offender like Morgan Rielly would border on crazy and incredulous – which is exactly how George Parros seems to operate the apparent NHL Department of Safety.](https://twitter.com/simmonssteve/status/1756789497491018006?t=aEWpC31s3j6Tom8Vmt23dA&s=19)
world is fucked if Steve Simmons is the voice of reason
Thank god for this podcast for making sense.
I finally unsubbed to that goof hockey guy on YouTube. He wants more hot dogging and regurgitates all the stupid twitter takes
I hope if it’s more than 6 the organization will be vocal. If that’s gonna be the call then fine, but there’s got to be consistency. Eventually, someone or body is going to need to say enough is enough and the NHL and DOPS needs to be held to a higher, consistent standard.
https://twitter.com/Nealerrr/status/1756725644786811103?s=20
The second angle should be taken into consideration. It’s clear he was not aiming for the head. It will still be 4+ games though
Whatever the amount is, Leafs will appeal just like they did when Spezza got 6 games for his first offence in his entire NHL career. And the fact that they have to appeal means DoPS isn’t effective, consistent, or fair.
Friedman is basically an NHL gossip columnist.
I mean, Reilly definitely deserves a suspension, but the league is one of the most poorly run businesses I’ve seen in my entire life.
It’s like nobody in charge has a fucking clue what they’re doing.
There’s no consistency in penalty enforcement, whether on the ice, or off.
Then we’re giving teams that cities clearly have no interest in having, being promoted to death, when there are cities actually desperate for teams.
Then you also have Jersey gate with the league giving the contract for Merch Jerseys to a hack of a company, despite thousands of QC complaints.
Imagine the NHL, if there were someone who had two shits to give, in charge.
Friedman has good takes – I agree – this seems highly suspicious. We’ve all seen far worse without a hearing.
So sick of other fanbases piling on the Leafs and pretending they would have been totally cool if someone did what Greig did to their own team. I also see some comparisons to bat flips in baseball, but it’s more like pimping a home run off a position player in a game you’re up by 10. Not against the rules but totally classless. The fact that his own teammate Giroux didn’t defend him tells you a lot.
18:40: “And in Toronto, if you show that you care, they will love you forever. And the leafs fans loved it and they will defend Rielly to the end of the earth”
He’s damn right I’ll defend Rielly to the end of the earth. And I’d tell Rielly to hit Greig harder next time even if it means missing the playoffs + a harsher penalty.
A viscous cross-check to the head, well after the play, late in a game, is exactly the sort of thing that you want suspended in this league, and it probably does warrant an in-person hearing.
The reason why it’s so frustrating & annoying though, is because of all the other stuff DOPS has just casually let go or not penalized properly.
You had unanimous agreement 2 weeks ago, from everyone (**including Habs fans)** that Brendan Gallagher deserved a huge suspension for his hit, and he got offered a phone hearing. How do you reconcile that with Rielly guaranteed to get more games than that hit, and still maintain confidence that Parros is fit for purpose?
Lol Friedman is shocked at the severity of the punishment, he also fucking snitch tagged DoPS after the hit.
This is the perfect time to remind everyone that this same DoPS and George Parros allowed a vicious head-targeted crosscheck on Wayne Simmonds to go UNPUNISHED in the playoffs when the Leafs were playing his former team, the Habs.
Friedman also said the Leafs are absolutely incensed at the fact this is an in person hearing. They def need to call out Parros and eat the fine a la NYR. Rielly will 100% appeal anything over 4 games I’d wager. The only reason people(other fans) are so overboard with this is because it’s the Leafs.
We all know damn well if the situation were reversed, and it was Holmberg or McMann who did that Brady Tkachuk would have tried to kill him, and the rest of r/hockey would be going “well what did you expect, you took a clapper from three feet out you moronic classless hotdog. That’s hockey”
Fuck Parros
Any fan of this sport would be baffled. Wayne Simmonds gets cross checked to the face TWICE and there was nothing that came out of it. No one can fucking follow this sport when the rules apply to some and not to others. Parros is a huge fucking piece of shit and he should be getting constant hate by Leafs fans.