Rangers' Rempe ejected for elbowing Heiskanen up high
New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was ejected from Friday's 3-1 victory against Dallas for elbowing Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen up high.
The incident occurred before the midway mark of the third period. Rempe was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Heiskanen retreated down the tunnel but returned to the contest.
Matt Rempe gets tossed for this hit on Miro Heiskanen in his 1st game back up with the Rangers 😬 pic.twitter.com/uvVAxvILJd
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 21, 2024
"I thought (Rempe) let off a little bit at the end," Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said, per The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "He's just such a big guy. (at 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds). We killed the five, and we're moving on."
The bench boss added, "I thought he had a big impact on the game. I'd like to stay away from the five-minute major, but he's doing his best to hit bodies and make a difference in the game. Our guys really rallied around that at the end."
This is Rempe's fourth ejection of his 22-game NHL career, per Sportsnet Stats. He was suspended four games last season for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.
The 22-year-old racked up 71 penalty minutes and two points in 17 games while averaging 5:38 minutes with the Rangers last season. Rempe has been assessed 22 penalty minutes through 18 outings with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack so far this campaign.
Friday's outing was Rempe's first NHL game since Nov. 25 and his fifth of the season. New York recalled him from the AHL on Wednesday after trading Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.
His physical play quickly established him as a fan favorite among Rangers faithful in 2023-24. Rempe appeared in 11 playoff games and scored one goal during their run to the Eastern Conference Final last spring.
New York selected Rempe in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.