Rangers' Matt Rempe continues to impact playoff games while playing the villain on ice
Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) collides with New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) during the second period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/Tom Brenner
WASHINGTON — To know Matt Rempe, the Rangers’ 6-8, 245-pound, wrecking-ball-on-the-ice rookie, and to have him on your team is to love him.
“I think he’s been great,’’ defenseman Jacob Trouba said of Rempe at the Rangers’ optional practice Saturday at Capital One Arena. “The energy that he’s brought to, not just the team, [but] to buildings, to MSG, to the fan base. I mean, there’s a lot of narrative out there, but he’s just a big kid having fun playing hockey.
“I think that’s what we see in the locker room. In the smiles . . . just his attitude, how grateful he is to be in this position and play hockey.
“We have a ton of respect for him in our room. I think the players love him. He’s been a big part of our team.’’
To have Rempe playing against your team, though, is to despise him.
Rempe became Public Enemy No. 1 for Capitals fans on Friday night for his devastating hit on defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk in the first period of a 3-1 victory that put the Rangers up 3-0 in the first-round playoff series.
Rempe was called for an interference penalty after the hit. Van Riemsdyk immediately left the game and did not return. He will not be available in Game 4.
“I thought it was a clean hit,’’ Rempe said Saturday. “It was a quick play. I just went through the body. Obviously, you never want anyone to get hurt, and that’s terrible that he’s hurt. I’m so sorry to hear about that. But I think it’s a clean hit. I was just trying to play hard, move my feet and be physical.’’
Rempe said he has no problem being a villain if that’s the way opposing teams and their fans view him. But he did say he looks at all of his hits on video afterward. He always wants to make sure he’s keeping his big body compact, with his elbows tucked in, when he hits, he said.
“That’s what I’m always looking for, no elbows,’’ he said. “I’ve got to make sure that everything’s tucked. And if guys are jumping out of the way, I’ve got to make sure, ‘Hey, I can’t stick anything as a reactionary thing.’ I’ve got to just miss the hit. I’ve got to pull out of it.’’
Washington’s Tom Wilson tried to get Rempe to fight after the hit Friday, the same way the Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid tried to get him to fight after he knocked Jonas Siegenthaler out of a regular-season game with a hit March 11. As he did against MacDermid that night, Rempe declined Wilson’s invitation to fight him.
“I think it’s a learning process for me with that, because I’m trying to now pick my spots,’’ said Rempe, who scored the first goal of this series in Game 1. “Time of the game, momentum. Are we up [on the scoreboard]? What’s the series like? Is that needed there?
“It’s hard to say no sometimes, if that makes sense,’’ he said. “That’s part of the job as well . . . Our job as a team is to win. And I’ve got to make sure that I do right by the team always.’’
Rempe declined to say whether he would want to fight Wilson if the situation allowed for it.
“I have no comment on that one,’’ he said.
Trouba was asked if, given the way opposing teams feel about Rempe, the Rangers need to be ready for trouble any time he’s on the ice.
“I’m sure teams don’t like him,’’ Trouba said. “I probably wouldn’t like him either. [But] he’s obviously capable of handling himself in situations. He’s shown that. He’s proven that.
“I think he’s going to continue to play the style that he plays and make an impact on the game.’’
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.
