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Ahead of the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs matchup at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, Matt Rempe gave his honest opinion on facing Toronto's Ryan Reaves.
"I have a lot of respect for him. He's a real tough guy and he's carved out a great career for himself," said Rempe.
Rempe debuted for the New York Rangers in the 2024 Stadium Series. He made an impact by fighting the Islanders' Matt Martin on his first shift, a scuffle that lasted 37 seconds. Rempe also scored the game-winning goal, solidifying the Rangers' narrow 6-5 victory.
Ahead of his NHL debut, he pointed out that one of his strengths was being physical and imposing:
"I think I'd handle it well. I play a hard, physical game that runs on adrenaline. I think I'm going to be juiced up to the max, so I think I'm going to be buzzing out there.
"It'd be unreal. How can you not be going with all the fans and outdoors? This is pure hockey."
Rempe has engaged in four fights during his first six NHL games.
Ryan Reaves shares his thoughts on Matt Rempe
Ryan Reaves on Friday talked about Rempe's aggressive approach. He said he saw some similarities with the way he himself had entered the league.
"He's coming into the league trying to make a name for himself any way he can. That's how I came in. I wasn't called up to add a scoring touch, for sure. It was to be physical and stick up for teammates and draw some energy and I kind of came into the league the same way."
Despite Rempe's limited experience, he has already accumulated 32 penalty minutes, outpacing the veteran Reaves' 29 PIM through 32 games this season.
Reaves commended the young Ranger for grabbing attention with his gritty physicality:
"Good on him. He's got some attention and we'll see how long it lasts."
When questioned about the possibility of a showdown with Rempe, Reaves said:
“I don’t have the game script. But you never know.
"I'm not just gonna square up with him at centre ice. But if something happens, whether I run somebody or he runs somebody, I got no reason to decline or not go after him. Or if he comes after me, I got no reason to say no."
The game will air live on ESPN+.
