Rangers' Matt Rempe draws big cheers alongside team icons Henrik Lundqvist and Mike Richter on stage at Fanatics Fanfest
New York Rangers' Matt Rempe, top, fights with New York Islanders' Matt Martin during the first period of an NHL Stadium Series hockey game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Henrik Lundqvist, no more than five or so years removed from being one of the biggest stars in New York and the centerpiece of the Rangers, was talking about his life now. The Hall of Fame goaltender discussed how much fun it is to be going to games at Madison Square Garden these days and cheering on his old team as a fan.
“I see the fans a little differently,’’ the nattily dressed Lundqvist said from a stage in the Theatre at Javits Center on Sunday as part of a panel discussion at the Fanatics Fanfest. “When I played, I was very focused. I could hear them but I didn’t really pay attention. Now I see the joy that the Rangers bring to so many people, and I love being part of that.’’
Lundqvist was discussing how excited he is about the new NHL season approaching when his fellow former Rangers goaltending legend, Mike Richter, chimed in.
“In the last few years, they’ve been building, just being an elite club,’’ Richter said. “I think it’s the most entertaining team in the league. I love watching them. And . . . there’s a buzz — there always is in New York — but that’s an exceptionally good team. And, you know, it takes a long, hard road to get there, but they’re building it all right and it’s just so much fun watching it.’’
The legends were joined on stage by Rangers rookie and fan favorite Matt Rempe in a panel discussion moderated by former Rangers tough guy Tie Domi.
Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller was supposed to be part of the group but had travel difficulties and didn't make it.
Domi, who was a teammate of Richter’s and a former fighter with a big personality, seemed to relate to Rempe, the 6-8 brawler who captured the fans’ imagination from the minute he made his NHL debut in the Stadium Series game against the Islanders at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 18.
“This kid really changed the team, didn’t he?’’ Domi said.
Domi complimented Rempe and offered some small bits of advice, but mostly the four sat in some comfy chairs on the stage and talked about the experience of playing for the Rangers at the Garden.
Rempe, who drew probably the loudest applause when the guests took the stage, reminisced about that outdoor game. He again thanked Islanders tough guy Matt Martin for offering to fight him on his first shift so he could get his career as an enforcer underway.
Rempe added that when the Garden fans chant his name, “it makes me want to rip my heart out of my chest, run through a wall. It’s incredible.’’
Rempe, 22, a Calgary native, has been spending the summer in Connecticut, living with Rangers backup goalie Jonathan Quick and his family. He has trained with Chris Kreider to get ready for the season and is raring to go for training camp, which opens next month.
“I want to have a real, real good camp,’’ Rempe said. “I want to go in and earn everything. I think I’ve improved a lot this summer. I want to show that.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
