"I just snapped & had enough": Habs' Kirby Dach gives reasoning for throwing haymakers at Ridly Greig in heavy tilt

By ARJUN B

Modified Oct 03, 2024 04:44 GMT

The preseason matchup between the Montreal Canadiens (2-3) and Ottawa Senators (3-1) on Tuesday featured some intense fights, sparked by a controversial hit from Senators forward Ridly Greig on Canadiens center Kirby Dach.

The incident occurred in the first period when Greig caught Dach with a hit to the head. Dach was forced to leave the game briefly before returning for the second period.

"I didn't really see him coming. I didn't have the puck and he kind of blindsided me," Dach said on Wednesday during a morning practice session via MontrealGazette.com). "He hits me clean in the jaw. I don't think it was a hockey play."

Clearly, Dach was still fuming about the hit when the two crossed paths again later in the game. After taking a third-period interference penalty against Greig in the offensive zone, Dach immediately initiated a fight with him after exiting the penalty box.

Kirby Dach delivered a barrage of heavy right-hand punches that repeatedly connected with Greig's head. Greig managed to get a few punches in himself before Dach eventually overpowered him, taking Greig down to end the fight.

The second time he came and hit me, he had hands up," Dach said. "He hit me in the face and, so, I just kinda snapped. I'd had enough."

Earlier in the contest, Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj leveled a dangerous open-ice hit on Senators forward Tim Stutzle.

The hit immediately ignited a response from Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who challenged Xhekaj to a fight in defense of his teammate. Xhekaj was subsequently penalized with a game misconduct for his hit on Stutzle.

Ridly Greig has his say on hit on Kirby Dach

After the game, Ridly Greig acknowledged his mistake on his part and that he understood why the Canadiens would be upset about the hit.

“It’s definitely a bad read on my part I can understand why they’d be pissed off… I had to keep my head up after that.” Greig said in a postgame interview.

The hit angered Dach's teammates as well. Montreal defenseman Jayden Struble also voiced his displeasure.

"It was a late hit. Thought it was pretty high ... Second game in preseason where one of our better players gets sent down the tunnel," Struble said.

Struble referenced a similar incident earlier in preseason when Canadiens forward Patrik Laine suffered a knee injury on a hit by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare that will likely keep Laine out for 2-3 months.