It was a busy offseason for New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe, a sudden celebrity of sorts around Manhattan, who captured the hearts of fans for his penchant for fighting and riling up the opponent.
But Georges Laraque did not like what he saw. “He was getting hit way too much in the face,” Laraque said.
Laraque would know. Over the course of more than 150 fights in the NHL, he lasted more than a decade as an enforcer because he knew how to reduce the number of blows to his head. He reached out to Rempe to give advice over the phone, then spent a few days with him on the ice over the summer to teach the 6-foot-8 forward some of the finer points about fighting.
That was just one piece of Rempe’s offseason education, which also included nearly daily power skating and working with Rangers veteran Chris Kreider on tipping pucks in front of the net. The 22-year-old Rempe goes into his first full season expecting to be better at hockey — with and without his gloves on.
“The fighting is a very small part, and I highly prioritized the skills and skating and everything,” Rempe said over the summer. “I’ve got to become a better player, so that’s what I’ve got to work on. I definitely enjoyed it, and I think I’ve taken big strides this summer with that.”
Rempe took some time out for the fans, too. His autograph line was one of the longest of all the NHL players at Fanatics Fest NYC in August, the inaugural three-day sports fan festival that featured presentations, merchandise sales and star appearances.
With 28 games of regular-season and playoff experience under his belt — and five bouts against some of the sport’s toughest heavyweights — Rempe’s goal is to prove he can be an everyday player. Laraque thinks Rempe could develop into a quality third-liner because he’s so young and willing to learn how to add to his physical attributes.
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“Without fighting, that guy could be a factor, and that’s what a lot of people don’t know,” Laraque told The Associated Press. “He’s a force. Dumping the puck, when the ‘D’ will go retrieve, they’re going to die. He’s so strong that the whiplash, just the contact of him while skating how fast he is, he’s going to hurt guys. … He’s a truck.”
Rempe added 15 pounds of muscle in the gym in addition to everything on the ice aiming to manage and protect the puck better and eventually perhaps be counted on as a penalty killer, like he was at the junior level. Teammates are expecting more of everything from Rempe in the coming months.
“His game will improve,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “You can tell he worked really hard this summer and he got bigger — somehow — and stronger. But he’s fast. He can fly. For a guy his size, he flies. He’s got good hands, and he’s been working hard. With opportunity, I think he’ll continue to get better.”
Rempe wears No. 73, but he’s already No. 1 in the hearts of Rangers fans, based largely off fighting Matt Martin of the Islanders outdoors in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 at MetLife Stadium in his NHL debut in February. He is not afraid to throw his fists and his body around in a very old-school way. Trocheck said he has heard only three names chanted at Madison Square Garden — Rempe and two elite goalies, Igor Shesterkin and Henrik Lundqvist.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trocheck said. “Last year was crazy with Remps. Rangers faithful really fell in love with him.”
The Rangers open the season Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
