3:04 p.m.: The league’s Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Reaves.
9:04 a.m.: The NHL has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will have a player safety hearing for his illegal hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in last night’s 4-3 overtime win. Reaves was assessed a match penalty and a game misconduct on the play after his shoulder caught Nurse in the head as the Oilers defenseman circled behind his own net with the puck. It’s a phone hearing, not an in-person one, so his pending suspension won’t last more than five games.
Nurse hit the ice hard after the hit and appeared stunned as he looked around. Blood began to pour from a sizeable cut on Nurse’s head as the Oilers training staff attended to him. He remained on the ice for a few moments before he was assisted off the ice. The hit occurred at the 2:41 mark of the second period, leaving the crowd in silence as Nurse left the game and did not return. Reaves was escorted off the ice and had a heated verbal exchange with Oilers captain Connor McDavid before he exited the game.
The league has an interesting decision to make with regard to Reaves, the initial point of contact on the hit is Nurse’s head and it would meet the definition of a blindside hit. The Department of Player Safety will consider an illegal check to the head suspension but does retain the right to change course when they review the infraction.
Reaves does have a history of supplemental discipline during his career, having last been suspended during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Reaves caught a two-game suspension for roughing and was also suspended one game during the 2020 postseason for an illegal hit to the head against Tyler Motte of the Vancouver Canucks. Reaves was also suspended three games back in 2016 for boarding.
As for Nurse, his status has yet to be updated, but he is out right now with an upper-body injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweeted that he’s heard from Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels that Nurse was joking with the team’s trainers and walking around after the game, which is certainly encouraging.
Ryan Reaves is a dirty player, always has been, always will be. Just a bully really as all he does is just go around hitting players because of his sub par skillset. I swear, some times I feel some players who play hockey are just playing because they can do bodily harm to others without criminal consequences.
honestly I understand, but as long as GMs are going to pay guys like this, guys like Reaves are only part of the problem.
You have a valid point there.
Soft.
Who’s soft? There is no problem with hitting in the NHL but some players like Reaves who go after player’s heads (all the time) & have little talent are simply on the ice to hurt people not to play the game.
Is it an in person hearing or phone hearing? Big difference.
Players like Reaves, Rempe, and Zahkej or however it’s spelt have no place in the game anymore.
He’s no better than an overpaid minor leaguer
I draw a line between dirty players like Reaves and enforcers like Xhehav . As long as there are dirty players in the league like Reaves , there is a place for the enforcer. More enforcers = less cheap shots .. I’m thinking Edmonton’s response to the hit on Nurse last night would of been a little different with Xhekaj on their team
Reaves is the most Irrelevant player in the league.
I read about this when I was taking a Reaves this morning.
God bless you Kesler aka Wilf, but if he is irrelevant please explain why he is being talked about.
I don’t like the hit but does everyone on this site want the NHL to become a over priced REC league..Come on we should be talking about how the players should be policing the bad hits like this one. Just like things coming back from the 80’s so should the tough guys back then.
@Bucky76 — I think another component of this problem is the players’ change of attitude about getting hit. Kids coming up aren’t taught how to protect themselves and not get into bad situations. Now, we’re seeing that from veterans, too. And the guys delivering the bad hits must be thinking, “They can’t call a penalty ALL the time, right?” It seems like the league is devolving into a Jekyll & Hyde mess, with either Rec league junk, as you stated, or Prison Rules,
j
5 games really not that much when Nurse will probably be done for more than that..
Suspending him any more than that helps the leafs.
Ideally he would not be suspended, but fined equal the amount of 10 games and he has to play at least 11:00min a game.
10 games the guy has a history of this crap. Kick him out next time he does this
Nurse was looking at his skate laces and got hit. First rule of hockey is keep your head up
The hit was definitely over the line and deserving of an even longer suspension, especially for a dirty player like Reaves. However, it’s true that Nurse was totally not paying any attention at all. There should be some responsibility for the player to be aware of what’s going on when they have the puck.