Feb 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers
NEW YORK — You live and you learn. That’s life. And sometimes you find out the hard way.
Just ask New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe.
The Rangers’ 21-year-old rookie has been one of the NHL’s feel-good stories this season. He’s defied the odds to reach the highest level of the sport as a sixth-round long shot. And made his memorable debut on the sixth year anniversary of his father’s tragic death.
Rempe quickly became and fan favorite with epic fights and electrifying hits to begin his career.
But all it takes is one bad moment to start flipping the narrative. That occurred on Mar. 11, when Rempe elbowed Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head – which drew a four-game suspension from the NHL.
“Just a learning experience,” Rempe said of his suspension. “Made a mistake, and just going to learn from it and grow. At 21, still got to learn lots of things. Watching games, you learn a lot. I can go watch a lot of the older guys and see what they’re doing.
Got lots of great reps in practice, got to work on my skill, got to work on a lot of things. It was great. Obviously, you never want to be suspended, but you learn things, and you get better and you grow.”
At the head of the day it’s teaching moment for the 6-foot-8 forward. And the next step for Rempe is to continue learning how to play hard, but also clean.
“More control of my body, just stuff like that,” Rempe said on Wednesday. “If a guy is pulling out of a hit, just got to be careful. It was an accident. I thought I was going to hit the wall. … Never want to see a guy get hurt or anything like that. I’m still going to play super-hard, play the same way.
“It was an accident, but you never want to see a guy get hurt or anything like that,” he said following Wednesday’s practice at the MSG Training Center. “I’m still going to play super hard (and) play the same way. I’m just going to make sure that my hits are clean, keep everything compact, everything tight, and it’ll be good. Live and learn.”
Rempe has made a noticeable impact in that regard. His 6-foot-8, 245 pound frame, has opponents hesitant to engage in puck battles. That’s resulted in extra possessions for the Rangers and it’s why Laviolette reinserted the rookie back into the lineup for Thursday’s 7 p.m. showdown against the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins.
