Matt Rempe's Rampage

There's a whiff of old time hockey in the air thanks to a 21-year old from Alberta.

Image via the HockeyFights.com X feed.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil …

Psalm 23:4

… for I am the meanest son of a bitch in the valley.

Unknown.

Less than two weeks ago, you probably would have had a hard time getting many hockey fans to correctly identify Matt Rempe, a 21-year old right wing for the New York Rangers. But after his first five games in the National Hockey League (NHL) where he’s tallied more penalty minutes than actual ice time, it’s hard finding many hockey fans who don’t know him now.

At 6’7” and 241 pounds, Rempe is hard to miss at the rink. The Rangers drafted the Alberta native in the sixth round (165th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. After leaving Seattle and spending 1.5 seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Rempe made his NHL debut on January 18 vs. the New York Islanders in the outdoor Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium before a crowd of over 79,000 fans.

Just 1:29 into the game, Rempe had his first fight. He dropped the gloves with long-time Islanders tough guy Matt Martin before the faceoff immediately after the Rangers took a 1-0 lead on their cross-town rivals. The throng was pleased.

After a quiet game against the Dallas Stars, Rempe made some noise again when he ran over Nathan Bastian of the New Jersey Devils and sent the 6’4”, 204 pound winger to the ice in a daze. Bastian had to be helped from the ice. Rempe got a match penalty for delivering a hit to the head and spent the rest of the game in the locker room.

Two nights later, Rempe accepted an invitation to fight from Nicholas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers just three minutes into the game. Later, he proved he was more than just a fighter when he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win.

It was New York’s 10th straight win.

The bout with Deslauriers was one that looked like a throwback to the 1970s. And once again, the fans responded, giving the fight a 9.2 rating on HockeyFights.com.

In that era, it might have taken a while for Rempe’s reputation to be established. But in the 21st century when every fight is posted to YouTube within minutes of its completion and plenty of players listen to Spittin’ Chiclets, word gets around a lot faster. So on Sunday, Rempe was invited to fight again during the pre-game skate by Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Just 2:12 into the the game, they fought. Despite the fact that Rempe had a six-inch height advantage over him, Olivier landed several solid rights to the head before throwing Rempe to the ice.

While the fight left Deslauriers bloodied, Rempe, who stumbled on his way to the penalty box, was sent to the locker room by the referees to get looked at by New York’s training staff. Despite getting hammered on the ice, Rempe returned to the game and earned the first assist of his career in a 4-2 loss that snapped New York’s winning streak.

While Rempe’s exploits are being celebrated, it’s important to remember that a career like this one can come at a terrible cost. For many enforcers, a role that seemed to be on the wane league-wide in recent years, it’s a path strewn with bandages, stitches, concussions, prescription pain killers, drug and alcohol abuse, and in some cases, premature death. Knowing that you may be asked to fight every night, and that your teammates expect you to answer the call every time, can take both a mental and physical toll on a player. That pressure is real, as many in the game believe fighting plays an integral role in regulating the violence in the game.

Here’s hoping Rempe learns to choose his spots when it comes to his next fight. With a frame like his, he’s sure to cause havoc playing down low with his back to the net and screening the goalie, exactly the position he was in when he scored his first career goal vs. Philadelphia on Saturday. He showed some scoring touch when he played with Seattle, and honing that skill in the NHL could ensure a long and lucrative career.

Rempe will have a few days to think about it. The Blue Jackets visit Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The hometown fans are sure to have their blood up with Deslauriers skating for Columbus. After Sunday’s epic clash, there’s every chance both players are going to want to take a game off from brawling and sit this one out.

It would be a wise choice.