New York Rangers' Matt Rempe leaves his mark with a controversial hit and bold antics, sparking reactions against the Dallas Stars.
It wasn’t long before New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe left a negative impression on the NHL after rejoining the lineup. In the Friday night match against the Dallas Stars, Rempe checked the Stars’ defenseman Miro Heiskanen from behind into the boards.
Rempe was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for the incident. Stars forward Roope Hintz quickly reacted, defending his fellow Finn by confronting Rempe.
As the fight was separated by the referees, a helmetless Rempe skated away, mocking the Stars fans with his hand raised to his ear.
Before his call-up, Rempe recorded five points in 18 games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The 22-year-old recorded 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points across 17 regular season matches last season, accumulating 71 penalty minutes. He recorded 1 goal and 10 penalty minutes over 11 playoff matches as the Rangers were defeated in six games by the Florida Panthers in the third round.
Rempe additionally participated in 43 matches with the Wolf Pack in the AHL, where he scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists for 12 points while recording 96 penalty minutes.
Rempe was selected in the 6th round by the Rangers during the 2020 NHL Draft from the WHL, and following two additional seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he debuted professionally with the Wolf Pack in 2022, playing parts of two seasons there before making his NHL debut earlier this year. Rempe is in the last year of his three-year, entry-level agreement with an $820,000 cap hit, and will become a restricted free agent after the season concludes.
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On Saturday, Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers was given an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety to address his boarding and elbowing of Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen from the night before.
The in-person hearing, set to take place on Zoom this Sunday instead of via phone call, enables senior vice president of player safety George Parros and his team to suspend Rempe for 8 games
Rempe, a 6-foot-8 forward, won over fans last season during his rookie campaign by battling some of the toughest veteran big men, reminiscent of the classic enforcers who have mostly vanished from hockey. However, he also violated the regulations, being ejected on two occasions and facing a four-game suspension for one such incident: an elbow to the head of Jonas Siegenthaler from New Jersey.
That history is considered in determining the duration of the suspension, along with the injury and intent involved in the incident that took place with 13 minutes remaining in the third period. Heiskanen skated for four additional shifts after completing the concussion protocol, as stated by Stars coach Peter DeBoer, who described it as a perilous hit.
The match in Dallas marked Rempe’s first return to the NHL after being called up from the minors following the Rangers’ trade of winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle. Rempe dedicated the summer to training to improve as a fighter while also striving to enhance his overall gameplay.
Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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