Ryan Reaves makes his thoughts extremely clear on Darnell Nurse's suspension dig

Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves fired back at Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse following his comments about taking an illegal hit to the head on Nov. 16, which led to a five-game suspension for the Toronto forward.

Reaves acknowledged his physical style of play and the pain it can cause but said he plans to continue doing so within the rules.

"The only truth that he spoke was, I go out there to inflict pain," Reaves said (per Sportsnet's Luke Fox). "That's a fact, and that's not going to stop. But I'm going to continue to do it legally. I'm going to keep playing hard, if not harder, now — and keep burying guys."

Reaves' remarks came in response to comments Nurse made on the hit that landed him on the IR and earned Reaves a five-game suspension. The Edmonton Journal quoted Nurse as saying:

“You can argue about the intent, but there’s certain guys in the league that each shift they go out there and try and go and inflict pain and I think it’s pretty obvious what was going on there.”

“It is what it is. For me, move on and get ready for coming back to keep the momentum going that was going before that.”

Nurse missed three games after the hit. Fortunately for the 29-year-old blue liner, he did not suffer a concussion. Meanwhile, Ryan Reaves is eligible to return to action Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators.

Darnell Nurse has registered one goal in three games since returning.

Darnell Nurse accepted own responsibility for Reaves’ hit

In addition to addressing Reaves’ actions, Darnell Nurse acknowledged his responsibility in the incident. As quoted in the Edmonton Journal, he said:

“In situations like that there’s definitely an onus on the player with the puck to be aware of where everyone else is on the ice.”

Hockey’s physical nature demands that players maintain awareness of their surroundings while handling the puck. Failing to do so can leave a player vulnerable to hits like the one delivered on Nurse, who was clear in his critique of Reaves’ actions:

“With that said, even if you put yourself in a bad spot there’s lots of body on a 6-foot, 4-inch player to hit and not one piece was touched other than my head.”

The controversy has set the stage for a potentially heated rematch when the Oilers host the Maple Leafs on Feb. 1, 2025, at Rogers Place.