Did Matt Rempe deserve an 8-game suspension for elbowing Miro Heiskanen?

By Jackson Weber

Modified Dec 23, 2024 00:22 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

New York Rangers right-winger Matt Rempe has been suspended eight games for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars superstar defenseman Miro Heiskanen. The 6'9, 255-pound bruiser laid the illegal hit to the back of Heiskanen's head during the third period of the Rangers 3-1 win in Dallas on Thursday night.

Rempe was making his return to the Rangers lineup, seeing NHL action for the first time since November 25. He was playing his physical style of hockey having thrown four hits in the game.

However, he couldn't help himself but lead with his elbow on his fifth hit of the game. Rempe was given five minutes for elbowing and ejected from the game for his actions. The Rangers survived the five-minute penalty kill, though you have to wonder whether Rempe is back into head coach Peter Laviolette's doghouse for his undisciplined play.

Here is a look at the play that has Rempe banned for eight games.

This was Matt Rempe's fourth time being ejected in 22 NHL games, an 18% ejection rate, almost unheard of in today's NHL. The suspension is the second of his career. His first came in March of 2024 for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, where he was banned for four games

Spittin' Chiclet's had a funny post on X about Rempe's ejection numbers.

"The Wayne Gretzky of ejections," they said on X.

Matt Rempe's eight-game suspension was deserved

While many fans are disputing whether Matt Rempe should have been suspended for more or less than the eight-game sentence the Department of Player Safety handed him, it appears to be fair and deserved.

For those who believe eight games is too much, Rempe is considered a repeat offender, which factors into the length of suspension. It's also evident that his only goal is to inflict pain on his opponents, not much focus on the other details of the game.

With more career ejections than points, there's no reason to have Matt Rempe running around and injuring other players. After a four-game suspension last season, it made sense to double that number for his next offence.

For those who believe eight games are not enough, that's understandable. However, eight games is a very lengthy suspension. It's the longest NHL suspension for an on-ice incident since Tom Wilson's 20-game punishment back in 2018.

For his second career suspension, eight games is a very fair and reasonable decision by the Department of Player Safety. Should Rempe get another chance in the NHL and fail to learn his lesson again there's no doubt he'll be suspended for much longer than eight games.

Other than his intimidating physical presence, he hasn't brought much to the table with only two points (one goal, one assist) in 22 career games. It's fair to wonder if Matt Rempe will ever see action in the NHL again. His consistent behavior of crossing the line and making dirty plays has not only hurt the players he's faced but also the Rangers themselves.

We can all appreciate a player who brings physicality and edge to the game, but it gets out of hand when that style of play leads to dirty collisions so often.