‘I Felt Like My Bed Was Already Made When I Hopped On That Phone’: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Recalls His Experience With NHL Department of Player Safety

Every experience is going to be different but Auston Matthews reflected on his experience with the NHL Department of Player Safety back in 2022.

During the team’s outdoor game against the Buffalo Sabres, Matthews cross-checked Rasmus Dahlin and was handed a two-game suspension.

Matthews was offered a hearing, which is normally conducted over the phone and discussed his experience trying to defend what took place on the play.

“It’s definitely very eye-opening,” Matthews said. “I felt like my bed was already made when I hopped on that phone.

Morgan Rielly faces a suspension after he cross-checked Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig on Saturday, The Maple Leafs defenseman took exception to Greig, who took a slapshot into an empty net to ice the game for Ottawa.

“Everybody’s situation is going to be a bit different,” Matthews acknowledged. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Matthews’ experience perhaps sheds light on the situation that seems most players feel like there isn’t much they can do when it comes to hearings dolled out by Player Safety. It’s rare when a hearing has resulted in no suspension.

In 2017, Boston Bruins Brad Marchand was summoned for his trip of Detroit Niklas Kornwall, only to escape with. $10,000 fine instead. Outside of that, it’s hard to find any situation where this has occurred.

Rielly’s was offered an in-person hearing, which gives the department the option of suspending Rielly for six games or more. The defenseman was set to fly out but instead did his hearing over Zoom after snowfall in the New York area forced a change of plans.