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Devils veteran Brendan Smith issues warning to Matt Rempe over his recent fights, ejections
The rivalry between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils has been taken up a notch this season, due to Rangers rookie Matt Rempe. His actions in a previous game sparked an all-out brawl involving multiple players from both teams on Wednesday.
Following the chaos, Devils veteran Brendan Smith issued a cautionary message to Rempe regarding his recent string of fights and ejections.
The game between the Rangers and Devils on Wednesday had people expecting fireworks. Fans saw the showdown between Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid escalate into a full-blown brawl.
In a post-game interview, Brendan Smith was asked to comment on Rempe's fighting style and behavior on the ice. Smith acknowledged Rempe's skill as a fighter, stating:
"Yeah, I mean, obviously he's a good fighter. I think I'm gonna tiptoe. I don't know if I want to tiptoe. I think he's got some maturing to do with some of the way, the way he acts, but obviously the fans love it. I think he's a big, big strong guy, to be honest."
Smith mentioned former player Raffi Torres as an example, noting that repeated suspensions for late or high hits can lead to a player's career being jeopardized:
"I seen other guys go down this route. One person to my knowledge, when I played was Raffi Torres. And if you continue to hit people late, hit people high, your suspensions just continue to climb, and then you find yourself not playing. I think he's got to dial it in a little bit, but he's a tough customer."
Brendan Smith acknowledges that Matt Rempe gets the fans going
Brendan Smith spoke on the matter in more depth, saying that Matt Rempe can play, but there is room for improvement and maturity. He also acknowledged that Rempe gets the Rangers' fans engaged in the game, telling the media:
"I think he can play what I've heard, so I think there's a little bit of maturing for him, but obviously he's doing a good job. There's some areas, I think, that he's got to improve, but obviously he gets the boys going and he gets the fans going.
"And obviously I played on the other side. When the fans are going, it's a great extra motivation. He gets that going. But like I said, it's, you want to have longevity in this business, and I've been able to be around a long time and I've seen how it's gone, so I think that'd be my only words of wisdom, if anything."
We will see if Matt Rempe calms down on the ice, as it feels likely the league will start to crack down on him in due course.
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