New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe just returned to the NHL and he’s already out of commission.
The 6 foot 9 big man absolutely destroyed Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen on Friday night with a nasty hit that immediately got him a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The league reviewed the situation on Sunday and handed Rempe a stiff penalty.
He’s been dealt an eight-game suspension, per NHL Player Safety. Here’s another look at the hit:
Matt Rempe gets tossed for this hit on Miro Heiskanen in his 1st game back up with the Rangers 😬 pic.twitter.com/uvVAxvILJd
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 21, 2024
Dirty stuff from Rempe. This is the longest suspension in the league since Tom Wilson was suspended for 20 games back in 2018. Rempe is no stranger to being punished by the NHL. He’s considered a repeat offender with four ejections in just 22 career games.
The Rangers just called Rempe up from the AHL after trading Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken. It was Rempe’s first NHL game since November 25. Thankfully, Heiskanen was able to return to Friday’s contest, but Rempe was still criticized heavily by fans for purposely trying to hurt Heiskanen.
New York head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t seem to think the Rempe hit was that bad:
“I thought he let off a bit at the end,” Laviolette said after the game. “He’s just such a big guy. We killed the five, and we’re moving on.”
Rempe was also suspended last season for four games after elbowing NJ Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.
The Rangers are also struggling immensely lately, losing 12 of their last 16 games. It’s been a brutal stretch for this organization and losing Rempe, who is a physical presence on the ice, isn’t ideal by any means.
But, this punishment is definitely warranted. Perhaps Rempe’s style of play isn’t a good fit for today’s game.
