Ottawa Senators' forward Ridly Greig getting in the kitchen of the club's hated provincial rival should come as a surprise to no one.
Forty-eight hours have passed and the most controversial empty-net goal in recent history continues to trend on social media like Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs football game.
The fate of defenceman, Morgan Rielly, still sits in the hands of the Head of Department of Player Safety, George Parros. When the length of suspension is finally announced, the topic of unwritten rules will be right back at the top of the charts.
Though it may not have been Greig’s primary objective at the time, Ottawa’s rookie forward reignited the Battle of Ontario. Greig delivered the hockey version of the Jose Bautista bat flip, and the Leafs were as impressed as the Texas Rangers were.
Though Rielly’s reaction certainly surprised a lot of people, it should not have come as a surprise there was a reaction. Greig was at practice on Monday and hasn’t spoken to the media since the incident, but one would have to think he expected something.
Professional athletes don’t like being shown up and the phrase “Revenge is a dish best served cold” doesn’t carry a lot of weight in the heat of the moment.
What also should not have come as a big surprise to anyone is that Ridly Greig is the one who started it all.
When the Senators drafted Greig with their third selection (28th overall) in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the word on Greig was that he played bigger than his frame and that he was tough to play against.
Greig was no stranger to the Principal’s Office in Brandon where he played four seasons and garnered three separate suspensions.
Taking it one step further, Greig got suspended before making his NHL regular season debut for cross checking then Jets forward, Pierre-Luc Dubois, in a pre-season game.
Morgan Rielly may not have a previous suspension in his 11 years in the NHL. Greig got him to go completely out of character and rush to cross check him in the head for the way he scored an empty net goal.
One would have to say he is living up to his billing thus far in his first full NHL campaign. If this is what he is like at 21, what might he be like when his game and body both mature?
Thinking of players who can generate offensive output whilst driving the opponent bananas, names like Dale Hunter, Ken Linseman, Darcy Tucker and Brad Marchand come to mind, among many.
Much like an elite power forward like Brady Tkachuk, the Senators have never had a player like Greig in the modern era. Their own little ball of hate. Greig is quickly developing a well-deserved reputation as a P.I.T.A. to play against and it’s serving his interests and those of the Senators.
Hunter, Linesman, Tucker and Marchand all have a few things in common aside from being ornery. They weren’t very big, they had very long careers, they played some of their best hockey in the playoffs and the moment never got too big for them.
If this is what Ridly Greig becomes for the Ottawa Senators, the manner in which he seals a game with an empty net goal will be the least of the opponent’s worries.