NHL tough guy ejected for injury-causing hit to the head
Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Ryan Reaves was kicked out of Saturday night’s game and is looking at a likely suspension for a hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
Reaves received a match penalty when he caught Nurse in the head with his shoulder in the second period. The defenseman was bloodied on the play and was tended to by a trainer for several minutes before he left the game.
The Oilers announced that Nurse wouldn’t return because of an upper-body injury.
A video review upheld the call against Reaves. A match penalty triggers an automatic review by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Reaves has been suspended three times in his career for a total of six games, including an illegal hit to the head in the 2020 playoffs.
His most recent suspension was in the 2021 playoffs when Reaves, then with the Vegas Golden Knights, used his body weight to hold down an opponent on the ice during a scrum and ripped out the player’s hair.
He also was suspended for three games in 2016 for boarding.
The Maple Leafs killed off the five-minute penalty to Reaves.
