Getting to Know Ottawa Senators Rookie Ridly Greig

This time of year, many hockey fans gather in the shadow of the Christmas tree to watch the World Junior hockey tournament and learn about the players that will become hockey's future.

Not long ago, the Ottawa Senators' most promising rookie, Ridly Greig, was one of those players. He represented Canada in 2022 until his tournament was cut short with an injury. But his big turn in the World Junior limelight was during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a summer tournament when many hockey fans were still at the beach.

Now it is time to learn more about where this new talent came from.

Greig's story begins with an NHL inheritance. His father, Mark Greig, played 125 NHL games with the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Ridly was born when his dad was still plying his trade in the NHL. About a year later, the family moved to Europe as his dad played four more pro seasons in Germany.

"I don't remember much," Greig said. "But [we] moved back and then kind of just settled into Lethbridge, Alberta, where I grew up and played minor hockey. There was this nice town, and I enjoyed it."

What Greig really remembers was learning the game of hockey on pristine outdoor rinks.

"Yeah, we had a pond, a neighbourhood pond in our backyard," Greig said. "So we spent hours and hours out there in the winter, and we actually had a neighbour who would kind of take care of the ice and everything."

The kids dubbed the neighbour "Rod the Ice God." 

"So it was kind of a funny nickname for him," Greig said. "But he always was out there. He was kind of the MVP of the neighbourhood. He took care of the ice and made sure it was nice and flat, and we'd get out there with 10 or 15 kids and just play shinny."

These outdoor games were part of the foundation and roots of Greig's hockey talent.

"It's definitely where you kind of build all your skill and where you can build your game without even knowing it," Greig said. "You get out there without a worry in the world, and you just kind of mess around and play shinny and do kind of stupid stuff. When you're kids, it's just lots of fun to get out there with a bunch of guys."

But unlike most children, Grieg had a dad who had played in the NHL.

"Yeah, obviously, it was nice to have him growing up. I used him a lot," Greig said. "Even now, I talk to him pretty much after every game and just share ideas, and whenever he can help me out, he does. And at the same time, he's distant; he's not too involved. So, he's just really nice to have around whenever I need him. So, growing up, he taught me a lot about the game."

Ridly says he takes after his father with a game that's elusive, tenacious, and slippery-skilled.

"Yeah, people have said that. We have similar style of games," Greig said. "I know he was a winger. But yeah, for sure, we skate the same."

Most NHL players whose fathers also played in the league tend to shower them with all the credit for their success, but not Ridly Greig. He equally credits his mother, Cindy. 

"She's obviously a big part of it," Greig said. "She was a stay-at-home mom, so she was always around and helped me through anything growing up, and she cared a lot. She's kind of a typical hockey mom.

"When (someone) has a hockey dad like my dad who played in the NHL and everything, everybody thinks he helped me so much, which he did. But at the same time, my mom helped me just as much, you know, just as much credit to her who's helped me through it."

Greig believes that his desire to win comes from his mother. "People joke that (Cindy) is where I got my competitive side of the game from because she's such a competitive human."

For Greig, it was always clear how much his mom, Cindy, cared about him because of what she would do for him as he pursued his hockey dream. "My dad wasn't around too much when he was scouting and stuff. So she was there a lot… We always had a Monday practice at six in the morning where she'd have to get up and drive us and just kind of show us how much she cared about us."

Greig was selected by Ottawa in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He played his first NHL regular season game on January 25th, 2023. He scored his first NHL goal in his ninth game against the St Louis Blues on February 19th, 2023. It was a "nothing goal," he says now. 

"But it was nice to kind of experience that. And obviously, I'll remember it forever."

Greig said he only recently got the puck back from the Senators. "They actually just gave it to me in a frame with some pictures around it, Greig said. "And the score sheet too, I think. I just got it back home now and will probably put it on the wall somewhere."

This year, Greig briefly led the NHL rookie scoring race, even ahead of Connor Bedard, until he suffered a high-ankle sprain on November 2nd.

Greig is on a mission to do bigger and better things than score "nothing goals." He now wants to pay homage to "Rod the Ice God" by translating his outdoor rink skills, his mother's competitiveness, and his father's talent, into a long NHL career. 

Perhaps someday young Ottawa fans will remember Greig as "Ridly the Ice God."