Rangers' Matt Rempe spends offseason working with teammate Chris Kreider on skill, strength
Rangers center Matt Rempe looks on against the Panthers during the first period of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Fiinals of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 30. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
STAMFORD, Conn. – When Matt Rempe uses his mind’s eye to envision the player he could become, he sees a bottom-six forward that naturally plays with physicality but can also be trusted to play on a shutdown line and be used as a penalty killer. And maybe provide some offense, too.
To that end, the 6-8, 245-pound Rempe, who has already spent time in Edmonton working on his fighting skills with former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque, has decided to spend the rest of the offseason working with Rangers teammate Chris Kreider on skills and strength.
“For every person, you’re taking bits and pieces,” Rempe said on Thursday as he and Kreider were among the 20-plus NHLers participating in the second annual Shoulder Check Showcase for mental health awareness at the Terry Connors Rink. “Take as much information as you can. All these people are being so great to me.”
Rempe had a goal, an assist and 71 penalty minutes in 17 games as a rookie, plus a goal and 10 penalty minutes in 11 postseason games for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers. But Rempe knows to earn more than the handful of minutes coach Peter Laviolette regularly limited him to, he must be more than a fan-favorite fighter.
“He’s incredibly driven, incredibly focused,” Kreider said. “He wants to get better every single day.”
Kreider participated in the event for the second straight year, as did Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick, who grew up in Connecticut. The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, who was raised in Bedford, New York but played youth hockey in Connecticut, also was a participant, as were former Rangers Kevin Hayes, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano.
Shoulder Check was founded in 2023 to honor Hayden Thorsen, a youth goalie in Connecticut who took his life in 2022. Prior to each Shoulder Check event, players line up at center ice, grab the shoulder of the player next to them and pledge, “I promise to reach out, check in, make contact.”
“Your feelings matter now,” said Canadiens coach and former Ranger Martin St. Louis, also a Connecticut resident. “I feel like, for a long time, you couldn’t really show that. I think, as a society, we’ve made tremendous strides. I still think there’s a long way to go.”
The Rangers want to make further strides after reaching the Eastern Conference final but losing to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Panthers.
Right wing Reilly Smith, who won the Cup with Vegas in 2023, was acquired from the Penguins to likely play on Kreider’s line with center Mika Zibanejad.
“He definitely makes the team better immediately,” Kreider said. “He’s incredibly smart. He can do everything, playing on the power, very effective penalty killer. He gets on the forecheck. Strong skater. He’s dynamic.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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