(Toronto) The NHL Players’ Association said it has appealed Morgan Rielly’s five-game suspension for double-checking.
The league’s Department of Player Safety suspended the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tuesday for his double-check at the head of Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig.
The incident occurred in the final moments of a 5-3 Senators victory this weekend.
Rielly, who received a major penalty and a game misconduct, hit Greig in the head after the latter fired a slapshot into an empty net with 5.1 seconds remaining.
Greig was not injured on the play and was in uniform Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Toronto won 4-1 over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. The 29-year-old defenseman is eligible to return to action on February 22, against the Vegas Golden Knights.
An appeal of a suspension of five games or less is heard by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, whose decision is final.