By Anthony Carlucci
New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe has been in headlines lately for being a very physical player. However, that physicality has gotten him into some trouble, with him currently facing a four-game suspension.
The NHL Department of Player Safety had to review the hit that Rempe laid upon New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on Monday. Rempe had seemingly lifted his elbow to deliver the crushing hit to Siegenthaler’s head. He had left the game due to an injury at that point, and Rempe was handed a game misconduct for his actions.
The Devils in particular weren’t happy with the hit after the game. Their forward Kurtis MacDermid said that he was looking to drop the gloves with Rempe a month ago after he hit Nathan Bastian, a hit that also got him a penalty. For MacDermid, ripped Rempe apart for declining to drop the gloves, and pointed out his most recent hit on Siegenthaler to drive his point home. This is the second straight game between the Devils and Rangers that Rempe has started a flare up.
New York Rangers Likely Aren’t Surprised
The league had this to say when reviewing Rempe’s hit on Siegenthaler. They said, “This is not a case in which a sudden movement by a player receiving the check turns a legal check into an illegal one. Nor do we believe this is incidental contact as a player is bracing for the boards or another player.” As for the Rangers side of things, their head coach backed his rookie up in the media. Peter Laviolette said, “That’s just a big man. Everything is down, there’s nothing that’s up, never lifted his arm. I’m glad he came back and played and was not hurt from that. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it’s just tough. He’s a big guy.” Laviolette had this to say after the first hit against the Devils and Bastian.
This is a situation that we might have to discuss quite often moving forward. The Rangers know how physical Rempe is as a player, and how it’s going to be perceived by other teams going against them. The Devils alone are done with Rempe as a player and want to allegedly teach him a lesson for his actions. If Rempe continues, other teams will start to feel the same.