- Ridly Greig suspended two regular-season games for sucker punching Sean Walker in Game 4
- Suspension carries to start of 2026-27 since Senators were already swept by Carolina
- Read below for the DOPS ruling, video of the punch, and Greig’s response
Ridly Greig got two games for the sucker punch.
The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended the Ottawa Senators forward on Monday for roughing Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker during Game 4 of their first-round series. Greig will serve the ban at the start of the 2026-27 season since Ottawa was already eliminated.
The incident happened at 9:50 of the second period on Saturday, April 25 in Ottawa. With Warren Foegele and Walker engaged in a center-ice scrum, Greig stepped in and landed two uppercut punches to Walker’s head while the defenseman was tied up and unable to defend himself.
Officials didn’t see it. Greig drew no penalty, and the Senators went on to lose 4-2 and finish the series swept in four games.
The DOPS video laid out the league’s reasoning:
“Walker is fully engaged with a Senators player when Greig knowingly approaches them and elects to throw two sucker punches towards the defenseless Walker, with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.”
Here’s the play that drew the discipline:
Frank Seravalli first reported the two-game ban via X. Kelly Hrudey had called the punch “gutless and disgusting” in the days after the play, and Elliotte Friedman argued the NHL Situation Room should have flagged it during the game. Plenty of analysts wanted more than two games.
This is the second suspension of Greig’s career, which now spans four seasons and 247 NHL games.
Asked about the punch after Game 4, Greig kept his answer brief.
“I could do a better job of controlling my emotions,” Greig said. “Yeah, that’s all I’ll say on it.”
Greig will be eligible to return for Ottawa’s third game of the 2026-27 schedule. The league’s full ruling covers the full incident from the April 25 game.
