Top 5 longest suspensions served by Toronto Maple Leafs players; Does Morgan Rielly feature on that list?

Following the heated incident between Morgan Rielly and Ridley Grieg when the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3, questions were asked about how long a suspension would be.

Rielly has been hit with a five-game suspension by the NHL Player Safety Committee and will be unavailable until February 25, against the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old has never been suspended before, which is somewhat impressive considering he has been around for 11 years.

Interestingly, Morgan Rielly's suspension does not rank among the Toronto Maple Leafs' five longest bans ever issued, but if the league does not reduce it, it will be among the five longest ever served.

5 longest suspensions in Toronto Maple Leafs history

#5, Jason Spezza - 6 Games

In December 2021 the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the Winnipeg Jets in a phase where the rivalry between the two clubs was very intense. Jets defenseman Neal Pionik injured Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sadin in what looked like a cynical tackle.

Looking to avenge his teammate, Jason Spezza took matters into his own hands which led to his initial suspension of six games, which was eventually reduced to four. Pionik faced a two-game suspension for his actions as well.

#4, Tie Domi - 8 Games

Tie Domi threw a nasty sucker punch into the face of New York Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson in 1995. Samuelsson was infamously known for being a dirty player within the NHL roster and Domi seemed to have taken his best swing towards the Rangers player.

While Domi was suspended for eight games, he made sure to mention that Samuelsson was pestering him to fight moments before he threw his knockout blow.

#3, Borje Salming - 8 Games

Borje Salming was suspended for eight games during the 1986-87 season after revealing to the media that he had previously used cocaine. Salming was fined the maximum of $500 by the NHL and a full-season suspension was initially levied, which the league eventually reduced to eight games.

#2, David Clarkson - 10 Games

When the Leafs signed David Clarkson there was a divide in the fanbase already as many thought it was a bad idea. The Leafs needed Clarkson’s fire, but unfortunately, Clarkson got hit with a 10-game ban in 2013 for his part in a major brawl, which can be seen below:

#1, Tie Domi - 11 Games

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tie Domi was suspended for 11 games for landing an elbow on Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer. The incident took place during Game 4 of the 2000-2001 Stanley Cup playoffs.

While Domi was unable to play in the remaining three playoff games that season, he also missed the first eight games of the following season.