Toronto Maple Leafs Furious At Gary Bettman For Treatment Of Rielly Suspension

NHL insider Kevin Weekes was the first to report the suspension last night. The announcement came just hours ahead of puck drop between the Leafs and Blues.

Apparently, Weekes' announcement came as a surprise to many within the Leafs organization, including Morgan Rielly himself. According to team sources, it was the first the team had heard about a decision in Rielly's case. The Department of Player Safety could not be bothered to tell the Leafs this news first before it leaked to the public.

This has not sat well with the organization. According to NHL insider Darren Dreger, the Leafs are particularly upset about how this situation was handled. More upset than they have been about anything in 'a long, long time.'

League protocol asserts that the team and player must be notified of a suspension before a public announcement can be made. As such, it would seem as though someone missed that memo in this case. The Leaf's frustrations are thus understandable. In related news, the NHLPA announced today that they have appealed Rielly's suspension on his behalf.

Each of the last two appeals have been unsuccessful in reducing the suspension length. Whether or not Rielly will be an exception to this remains to be seen. Be sure to stay tuned as that decision comes in the upcoming days.

As seen on Maple Leafs furious at leak from NHL Department of Player Safety!