NHL Player Safety confirms bad news for Morgan Rielly.

In an earlier report I outlined that things did not sound good for Morgan Rielly, and now the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety has officially confirmed it.

In an official statement, NHL Player Safety has announced that Rielly will now face an in-person hearing for the cross-check that he delivered to the head of Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig. In person hearings are reserved for when the NHL intends to suspend a player for 6 or more games, which means that Rielly is looking at a hefty suspension in this case.

No time and date has been set for the hearing, but there will be plenty of time for that given that Rielly is facing a significant punishment as a result of this incident.

The blow from Rielly came in the final seconds of the game, came after the play had been blown dead following a goal, and was a clear act of retaliation following a questionable decision from Greig to fire off a slap shot into an empty net.