Ridly Greig received a two-game suspension for throwing a cheap shot.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety decided to suspend the Ottawa Senators player on Monday for hitting Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker during the fourth game of their first series. Greig’s suspension will start at the beginning of the 2026-27 season since Ottawa has already been knocked out of the playoffs.
The incident took place at 9 minutes and 50 seconds into the second period on Saturday, April 25, in Ottawa. While Warren Foegele and Walker were tangled up in a fight at center ice, Greig went in and hit Walker’s head twice with uppercuts, even though Walker was stuck and couldn’t protect himself.
The referees didn’t catch it. Greig didn’t get any penalty, and the Senators lost the game 4-2, resulting in them being eliminated after losing all four games in the series.
The DOPS video explained the league’s decision:
“Walker was fully occupied with a Senators player when Greig made the choice to approach and threw two cheap shots at the defenseless Walker, hitting hard enough to deserve a punishment. ”
Frank Seravalli was the first to share news about the two-game suspension on X. Kelly Hrudey called the punch “cowardly and disgusting” in the days following the incident, while Elliotte Friedman suggested that the NHL Situation Room should have caught it during the game. Many commentators thought he deserved more than just two games.
This is the second time Greig has been suspended in his career, which spans four seasons and 247 NHL games.
When asked about the punch after the fourth game, Greig kept his response short.
“I need to do a better job controlling my emotions,” Greig said. “That’s all I will say about it.”
Greig will be able to play again in Ottawa’s third game of the 2026-27 season. The league’s complete decision discusses everything that happened during the April 25 game.
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