The NHL Department of Player Safety may once again have its hands full with New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe, a player they are becoming all too familiar with. Rempe was previously suspended for eight games last December after delivering an illegal hit on Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Now, he could be facing more discipline following a high elbow to Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg on Sunday. The hit, which occurred less than five minutes into the game, left Blankenburg shaken on the ice, though Rempe received only a two-minute minor for elbowing.
In response to the hit, Predators defenseman Andreas Englund immediately challenged Rempe to a fight, which ended in a draw. After the game, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette defended Rempe, attributing the impact to the forward’s size.
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“Remps is just such a big man. He was forechecking,” Laviolette said, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “When he hits, he’s just higher than everybody else. I don’t think he hit him—I think he maybe grazed him a little bit. I think it was more of a miss. That’s his game. He’s got to do it within the rules, but we also need him forechecking.”
Rempe, who has already been suspended twice in his brief NHL career, could face additional consequences given his history. He was suspended for four games last season for elbowing Jonas Siegenthaler of the New Jersey Devils before receiving the eight-game ban in December.
“I’ve got to be a lot smarter,” Rempe said following his last suspension. “I don’t have to make every hit. If I’m going to make every hit, some of them are risky.”
Despite the controversy, the Rangers secured a 4-0 win on Sunday with goals from Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller, K’Andre Miller, and Brett Berard. The victory improved their record to 30-26-4, putting them just two points behind the Detroit Red Wings (66) for the second wild-card spot.