Calgarian Matt Rempe offered in-person hearing, NHL could suspend him 6-plus games from Rangers lineup

New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73), who was ejected for game misconduct, slams Dallas Stars' Miro Heiskanen (4) against the boards in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

 Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers on Saturday was offered an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety to discuss his boarding and elbowing of Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen the previous night.

The in-person hearing, which is scheduled to be held on Zoom Sunday as opposed to a phone call, allows senior vice president of player safety George Parros and his department to suspend Rempe for six or more games. 

Rempe, a six-foot-eight forward from Calgary, became a fan favourite last season in his rookie year for fighting some of the toughest veteran big men in a throwback to vintage enforcers who largely have disappeared from hockey. But he also ran afoul of the rules, getting ejected twice and receiving a four-game suspension for one of those situations: an elbow to the head of New Jersey’s Jonas Siegenthaler.

That history factors in on the length of the suspension, along with injury and intent on the play that occurred with 13 minutes left in the third period. Heiskanen returned to skate four more shifts after going through concussion protocol, according to Stars coach Peter DeBoer, who called it a dangerous hit.

The game at Dallas was Rempe’s first back in the NHL after being recalled from the minors following the Rangers' trade of winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle. 

Rempe spent the summer training to become a better fighter but also worked to become a better all-around player.

Now 22, Rempe has spent the vast majority of the season with Hartford of the American Hockey League. He played less than six minutes in the 3-1 win against the Stars, after which Rangers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters he thought Rempe “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,” Laviolette said. "Our guys really rallied around that at the end.”