NHL Likely to Suspend Matt Rempe More Than Five Games for Ruthless Illegal Hit
Rangers' Matt Rempe has just received an in-person hearing with the Department of Player safety, which means he can be suspended for more than five games.
The New York Rangers recently moved a notable roster piece, trading Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken and recalling forward Matt Rempe from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.
A physical player by reputation, Matt Rempe said before his call-up that he preferred to focus on contributing to the game rather than leaning into an enforcer-like reputation. That didn't last very long. Rempe made headlines for all the wrong reasons Friday night against the Dallas Stars.
In an incident that has been reviewed by the league, Rempe has now received an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety after he delivered a hit from behind to Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen, driving his elbow into the back of Miro Heiskanen's head.
The play drew a five-minute major penalty and an ejection, with the online hockey world blowing up in divided opinion. Some fans thought the hit was clean, while others felt it was an obvious boarding or worse.
Now that the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Rempe will have an in-person hearing, by rule this means he is facing a suspension of more than five games.
It is indicative of how seriously the league is taking the incident, very much so given Rempe's history of questionable plays and very minimal on-ice contributions.
This could be it for the Rangers player. Since Rempe still crosses the line and brings nothing else to the table, a call into question regarding his NHL future has to be in order moving forward.
The hit on Heiskanen speaks volumes, not just about safety and the danger of allowing repeat offenders to skate, but also puts the league in a bad light.
Fans will be keeping a close eye on the final decision that is made later today regarding just exactly how many games Rempe will be suspended.
| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 21 | 217 ANSWERS NHL Likely to Suspend Matt Rempe More Than Five Games for Ruthless Illegal Hit Do you think Matt Rempe will receive a 10-game suspension? | ||
| Yes | 89 | 41 % |
| No, more than that | 32 | 14.7 % |
| No, less than that | 96 | 44.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jonathan Marchessault | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Filip Forsberg | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Thomas Novak | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jesperi Kotkaniemi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Joel Farabee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alexis Lafreničre | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| John-Jason Peterka | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cody Ceci | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| William Eklund | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Adam Fox | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Patrik Laine | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 47 | 32 | 10 | 5 | 69 | |
Jets | 48 | 31 | 14 | 3 | 65 | |
Golden Knights | 47 | 29 | 14 | 4 | 62 | |
Maple Leafs | 48 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 62 | |
Oilers | 47 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 61 | |
Hurricanes | 48 | 29 | 16 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 47 | 28 | 15 | 4 | 60 | |
Stars | 47 | 29 | 17 | 1 | 59 | |
Panthers | 48 | 28 | 17 | 3 | 59 | |
Devils | 49 | 26 | 17 | 6 | 58 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||