Matt Rempe has never been afraid of the physical game, building up a reputation for fighting early in his NHL career.
But the towering New York Rangers forward crossed the line Friday night against the Dallas Stars, drawing sharp criticism after an egregious incident.
In the game, Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen was skating towards the boards to clear the puck when Matt Rempe came up with a savage hit, right into Heiskanen's neck, planting him into the boards.
It was Rempe's fourth ejection in 22 NHL games. For this, the NHL Department of Player Safety gave him a pretty significant punishment, an eight-game suspension.
If the suspension represented a huge blow to the aspirations of the young forward, the monetary penalty did him no good. A repeat offender, having committed several other infractions in the past, Rempe will forfeit a total of $80,000 in salary.
The incident brings into question Rempe's future as a physical enforcer for the Rangers. Whether he or the organization likes it or not, this hefty punishment could change his role moving forward.
It couldn't come at a worse time for the Rangers. The team, in the bottom half of the league, just lost 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Without Rempe and any semblance of grit in particularly short supply, there is growing uncertainty as to which way the Rangers go from here.
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