Matt Rempe Faces Possible Suspension After Another Ejection for a Reckless Hit
New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe was once again in the news following a dirty hit against the Dallas Stars that got him ejected, and he may now be suspended.
The Rangers have called up their enforcer Matt Rempe in what has been a bunch of recent roster moves as the team attempts to save their season after a miserable stretch.
If nothing else, Matt Rempe is a physical player, and his history with teams around the NHL is far from clean as he has been involved in many questionable plays that have led him to potentially get suspended by the Department of Player Safety.
He battled with Kurtis MacDermid mere seconds after a face-off and was done for the night very early on.
His return to the lineup figured to give the Rangers physical play, though that certainly came without controversy.
His type of play similar to that one against the Devils has resurfaced just recently, with yet another questionable hit against defenseman Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars.
The hit has been debated, but there are key elements that cannot be dismissed.
Rempe led with his elbow, the head was the primary point of contact, and he made no attempt to prepare for the boards.
Whether or not it was intentional, with his history of ejections, it's hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The fallout was immediate. Rempe was ejected, as per usual, and handed a major penalty, and now faces disciplinary action from the NHL.
While the league's Department of Player Safety has been inconsistent in the past, this case seems straightforward.
Given Rempe's prior suspension, a four-game ban in March for a headshot on Jonas Siegenthaler as mentioned above, he is now a repeat offender.
Rempe is scheduled to have an in-person hearing on Saturday which could lead to the possibility of a 5 game suspension, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
If that happens, Rempe might well miss the much-hyped Rangers-Devils meeting on January 9. All eyes will now await the NHL's ruling as it could set the marker on how they deal with repeat offenders going forward.
