They say when you dance with the Devil(s), you’re bound to get burned. But as New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe can attest, that isn’t always the case.
According to Vincent Z. Mercogliano of the USA TODAY Network, Rempe walked into the locker room at the Rangers’ practice facility Thursday morning following the previous night’s battle with the New Jersey Devils with a smile on his face and simply said:
“That was a banger.”
Rempe wasn’t referring to the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Devils; he was referring to the 10-player line brawl that broke out off the initial face-off.
Rempe had some bad blood with Devils winger Kurtis MacDermid that had been well documented over the past few weeks, so when both teams sent their fourth lines out for the opening face-off, he knew a fight with the veteran enforcer was imminent. What hardly anyone expected, however, were the four other fights that ensued simultaneously in what turned out to be a galvanizing moment for Rempe and his Rangers teammates.
“Those guys are my brothers,” Rempe told Mercogliano the following day. “That wasn’t planned or anything. It just kind of happened naturally. I think that was really special that they did that, as well. I knew that I was going to have to fight. It’s not a big deal − answer the bell type of thing. It happens, but for them to go to war with me was pretty dang special. … I love all those guys.”
The Rempe-MacDermid Tussle Had Been Brewing for Weeks
The beef between Rempe and MacDermid dated back to the last time the teams met at Madison Square Garden on March 11, when Rempe refused MacDermid’s offer to fight early in the game in retaliation for the hit on Nathan Bastian that earned Rempe a match penalty during the teams’ Feb. 22 matchup.
MacDermid, who arrived in New Jersey via trade from the Colorado Avalanche on March 1, wasn’t even with the Devils when Rempe laid the hit on Bastian; still, he took it upon himself to enforce the “code” and make Rempe “answer the bell” for his actions. MacDermid hadn’t played in New Jersey’s last four games prior to Wednesday’s matchup with the Rangers. So, when he was named to the starting lineup against New York, he made it his mission to settle the score with Rempe once and for all.
“MacDermid was like, ‘We’re going right now,'” Rempe recalled. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know. I think there’s a reason why we’re starting.’ … It was wicked.”
While the other four bouts ended rather quickly, Rempe and MacDermid continued to exchange blows for nearly 90 seconds.
“That was a long fight,” Rempe said. “He’s a real tough customer. That guy is a big boy. Strong, been one of the toughest guys in the league for a long time, and he has his job to do. You gotta respect that.”
MacDermid also said after the game that he had “a lot of respect” for Rempe, whom he described as “a young kid trying to do his thing.”
Rempe & His Rangers Teammates Were Not Anticipating Ejection
According to NHL Rule 46.7, “A game misconduct penalty shall be imposed on any player who is assessed a major penalty for fighting after the original altercation has started.”
It was determined that Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey and Devils center Curtis Lazar were the first to engage in a fight, which meant automatic ejections for the other eight players – including Rempe and MacDermid. The news came as a surprise to Rempe, who was expecting to serve only a five-minute fighting major.
“I thought I was going to have a good five minutes in (the penalty box) with the fellas,” Rempe said. “We were going to be cuddled up in there, getting cozy and having a good time. But then we go in there, and they’re like, ‘You’re gone.’ I was like, ‘you’re kidding me?’ I had no idea that was a rule. I was like, ‘Dang it. My [time on ice] didn’t go up that game.’ “
Matt Rempe was ready to cuddle with the fellas in the penalty box before getting tossed ☠️
(h/t @vzmercogliano)
Rempe, both bloodied and energized by the fight, headed to the locker room with his other teammates who were ejected.
“I was jumping around, running around, doing flips,” Rempe told Mercogliano. “You’re seeing all the comments on social media. They were funny. I was reading them out loud to the fellas, and they were laughing. It was cool.”
Rempe Claims He Doesn’t Want to Be ‘a Guy Who Just Fights’
The 21-year-old Rempe, who became an overnight sensation when he dropped the gloves in his Rangers debut at the NHL Stadium Series in New Jersey, has built a reputation on his penchant for throwing hands. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound winger took on noted NHL enforcers Matt Martin, Nicolas Deslauriers, Mathieu Olivier and Ryan Reaves in just his first seven games and has already racked up 69 penalty minutes in his 14-game NHL career. However, the rookie has higher aspirations than simply being an enforcer.
GettyMatt Rempe, New York Rangers
“I want to show to the coaching staff that I can be a really effective player in playoffs,” Rempe said. “I’ve just got to keep working every day. When I was out of the lineup, I’m working with the coaches on everything and just trying to try to get better.”
Rempe’s extracurriculars, however, have precluded him from making the type of impact he wants to make. Through 14 games, he has been ejected on three separate occasions and is averaging just over 5 minutes of ice time per game. As the Rangers head to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season, Rempe will look to rewrite his reputation.
“I want to be a good player,” Rempe said. “I don’t want to just be known as a guy who just fights. I want to be known as a guy who’s tough, but I want to be known as a guy who, ‘Wow, this guy is a very effective bottom-six forward who can skate, be really good checker, can be physical, be good defensively, maybe eventually be a penalty killer one day.’ That’s what I want to be.”
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Rangers’ Matt Rempe Responds After 10-Player Melee With Devils