Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe has been handed an eight-game suspension by the Department of Player Safety for elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen against the boards. This is the longest on-ice suspension since Tom Wilson was suspended for 20 games in October 2018.
The right fielder received a misconduct for elbowing Heiskanen on Friday. The Stars defenseman was clearing the puck out of the Dallas defense when Rempe hit him with a high elbow from behind.
He racked up 17 penalty minutes on the night, including a five-minute elbow and a two-minute short on Stars Roope Hintz, who defended Heiskanen. The Finnish D-man was slow to get up in the game but returned to the field after missing six minutes of the game.
This is not the first time that Rempe has been suspended from work due to an elbowing incident in his work. The last time was in the Battle of the Hudson River against the New Jersey Devils last March.
The 22-year-old was suspended for four games after elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the boards. In some ways, it was similar to his beating of Heiskanen, and Siegenthaler was sidelined for a week, suffering from Rempe’s song headache.
Rempe was ejected four times in his career in just 22 NHL games and recorded 95 penalty minutes. Last season, he totaled 71 penalty minutes in just 17 games. He also scored a goal and an assist in that campaign.
Rangers featured Rempe in 11 games last term, where he also scored one goal.
In five games this season with the Blueshirts, Rempe has no points, only one shot on goal and an average of 6:15 ice time.
He also played 18 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. With the Rangers, he has three goals and two assists for five points. Rempe also recorded 22 penalty minutes in the minors this season but totaled 205 in his AHL career.
Get the latest news and trending stories in your inbox by signing up for the Hockey Newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by by visiting our forum.
