NHL fans were not shy in commenting about the shoving match between Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz and Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig on Tuesday, April 22. The incident occurred during Game 2 of the first-round playoff series between the two teams.
Anthony Stolarz on His Takedown of Ridly Greig
Midway in the second period, Greig was crowding the Maple Leafs’ goalie in the crease in front of the net. Stolarz didn’t take too kindly to the Senators’ forward’s close proximity and did not hesitate in shoving him in the back. The goalie also used his pads and stick against the opposing team’s player before flattening Greig for a final time after the latter came charging at Stolarz a few seconds later.
Speaking to the media after the game, Stolarz shrugged off the incident, claiming he didn’t realize Greig was the other player at the time.
“That’s playoff hockey, the ebbs and flows. You have to weather the storm and try not to give ’em too, too much,” Stolarz said via The Leafs Nation. “It’s kinda on me as well to make a big save here or there. In the second period there, they were kind of just throwing junk at the net and just trying my best to control it. I thought we did a great job of boxing out their forwards, and those guys have kind of allowed me to see the initial shot.”
Both players were assessed a roughing penalty for the play. Various media outlets and social media users shared the highlight reel of the incident.
Risky Greig gets a penalty for getting his ass kicked by Anthony Stolarz pic.twitter.com/wzEmAqe51m
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 23, 2025
Hockey fans wasted no time in posting about the physical contact on X (formerly Twitter):
Embarrassing officiating lmao
— Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) April 23, 2025
“If they’re not gonna call Tkachuk taking 37 runs at guys after the whistle, wouldn’t be super fair to call this one,” a fan posted in reply to the tweet above.
“As a father of a goalie, I fully endorse this,” another fan wrote.
Some fans sympathized with Greig, but even they saw the humor in the situation.
How in the world did Greig get a penalty here? He was literally just existing lol
— Chase (@chaser321) April 23, 2025
“Maybe they called him for being soft and flopping at the end after entering Stolarz crease ;),” a fan posted.
Greig had been involved in more than one physical incident going back to Game 1 of the playoff series. He slid into Stolarz while rushing the net and got a two-minute penalty for a cross-checking Maple Leafs’ forward John Tavares in the face in the same game. The lack of further discipline against him was not well-received by Toronto, who had declared open season on the combative forward for the rest of the postseason.
The Maple Leafs won Game 2 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the series. They will travel to take on the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, April 24.