Following an altercation in the second period of the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Devils on Monday night, New York’s Matt Rempe has been suspended for four games after he elbowed New Jersey’s Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.
Rempe has quickly become a fan favorite who has taken the NHL by storm for the amount of fights he’s gotten into since making his debut in mid-February. However, his hit on Siegenthaler took it to another level as he appeared to extend his elbow and make contact with Sieganthaler’s head on purpose in the final seconds of the second period.
Sieganthaler, a six-year veteran in his fourth season with the Devils, immediately went down after getting hit and had to leave the game.
After the game, New Jersey’s Kurtis MacDermid came to the defense of his teammate and had some choice words for the rookie, expressing his disapproval of the situation.
“There’s a right way to go about things and a wrong way,” MacDermid said. “I kind of lost a lot of respect for him.”
Up until that point, Rempe – standing at a towering 6-foot-7 – had been in a few fights during his early NHL tenure, but nothing that was out of line or over the top. The hit on Sieganthaler, who did not return for the rest of the contest, was different.
In fact, the Department of Player Safety mentioned in their explanation that Sieganthaler’s injury played a factor in their decision. It’s also possible it took into account how eventful his first 10 games in the NHL have been so far.
“Rempe chooses to flare his elbow both up and away from his body in dangerous fashion, driving it directly into the head of Siegenthaler with substantial force,” the DoPS explained.
Rempe will be eligible to return on Tuesday, March 19 when the Blueshirts host the Winnipeg Jets.
