Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe appears to have learned his lesson.
Returning to practice on Wednesday afternoon following an eight-game suspension for boarding/elbowing Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the young enforcer admitted that he must play smarter moving forward.
“That wasn’t a great hit,” he said. “I have to be smarter there and not make hits like that when they’re right against the wall. I’m too big of a guy coming in with that much speed. I can’t let something like that happen again, I’ve gotta be a bit more controlled.”
Rempe is a repeat offender having racked up a pair of suspensions, eight major penalties, and a total of 71 penalty minutes in just 22 regular season games over his first two pro seasons.
The 22-year-old knows he’s a “marked man” right now, and if something like this were to happen again he’d be looking at an even longer suspension.
“I have to play my game, but it can’t happen again or else it’s going to be huge,” he said. “I have to be a lot smarter. I don’t have to make every hit. I’m so big and I can get going. I have to be able to pick my hits and make sure it’s going to be a good hit.”
“It’s not so much on the forecheck when I’m coming in, it’s more all of these plays in the neutral zone. Guys are against the wall, they’re turning, stuff like that. If it’s any way in doubt I feel like I have to veer on the side of caution right now, I’ve got to keep it clean.”
Rempe’s likely first game back is certainly shaping up to be a good test, as he is eligible to return to the lineup for Thursday’s meeting with the crosstown rival Devils, who he already has some history with.
The 22-year-old’s first career suspension (four games) came after he knocked veteran New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler out of the game with a high elbow during a March contest between the two teams.
He also received a match penalty for an illegal hit to the head of Devils forward Nathan Bastian just 13 seconds into their meeting just a few weeks prior, and he was finally forced to pay the price as he dropped the gloves with enforcer Kurtis MacDermid in April.
We’ll see if any of the bad blood carries over on Thursday.