HIGHLIGHTS

  • Arber Xhekaj wins decisive fight against Rangers’ Matt Rempe at Bell Centre
  • Rempe started throwing before Xhekaj’s gloves were off, still ended up losing
  • Read below for Xhekaj vs Rempe video, plus Wi-Fi’s impressive updated fight record

Arber Xhekaj just got the better of Matt Rempe.

The Montreal Canadiens defenseman dropped the gloves with the New York Rangers enforcer on Sunday evening at Bell Center. The spirited tilt concluded with Wi-FI taking down Rempe and flexing to the Montreal crowd.

The fans at the Bell Centre erupted in the second period as both heavyweights tossed their gloves to the ice. Rempe, standing at a towering 6’9″, came out swinging early. But WiFi wasn’t having any of it.

Check out the Rempe vs Xhekaj fight below:

TSN caught a replay angle that shows just how early Rempe started throwing:

Xhekaj, who’s earned his “Sheriff” nickname the hard way, weathered the early storm from the Rangers youngster. Once he found his range, the Habs defenseman started landing heavy shots that got the Montreal faithful on their feet.

The 23-year-old Canadiens blueliner put an exclamation mark on the tilt by taking down Rempe and flexing for the crowd. It was just the latest chapter in Xhekaj’s impressive fight resume, which now stands at 12 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws in his NHL career.

(Screenshot/ TSN Sports)

Wi-FI’s only losses have come against heavyweights Tanner Jeannot and Mathieu Olivier – with many considering Olivier the current top dog among NHL fighters.

For Rempe, this was another tough learning experience. The Rangers youngster has been making headlines since entering the league – not all for the right reasons. He’s already served two suspensions, including an 8-game ban for boarding Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen. The giant forward has only received more than 10 minutes of ice time once in his NHL career.

The fight came shortly after Josh Anderson and Braden Schneider had their own dance earlier in the game. Schneider ended up heading to the locker room after cutting his nose on his visor.

The fight loss stung extra hard for Rempe and the Rangers, as he picked up an instigator penalty for jumping the gun. Montreal would go on to tie the game on the ensuing power play.

While the Rangers have gone 20-4-3 with Rempe in the lineup, you have to wonder what the towering forward brings besides his imposing size.

While many hockey fans want fighting out of the NHL, the Bell Centre crowd made it clear they still appreciate the old-school heavyweight tilts. And when it comes to those, they don’t get much bigger than Xhekaj vs Rempe.