New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was suspended for four games by the NHL on Tuesday for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.
Rempe had a telephone hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety earlier in the day. This came on the heels of an incident late in the second period of the Rangers’ 3-1 win on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The 21-year-old rookie, playing in just his 10th game, received five-minute major and 10-minute game misconduct penalties and was ejected with 30 seconds left in the period. Siegenthaler suffered an injury on the play.
A Department of Player Safety official said in an explanation video that Rempe flared his elbow up in “dangerous fashion” to deliver a hit to Siegenthaler’s head “with substantial force.”
“It is important to note that while we acknowledge that Siegenthaler is stopping up as he dumps the puck in, this is not a case in which a sudden movement by the player receiving the check turns a legal check into an illegal one,” the official said.
Rempe will miss the Rangers’ three-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Sunday’s home game against the New York Islanders. He’ll be eligible to return March 19 against the Winnipeg Jets.
The 6-foot-7, 241-pound Rempe has two points (one goal, one assist), four fights and 54 penalty minutes since making his NHL debut on Feb. 18. The Rangers drafted the Calgary native in the sixth round in 2020.
“He’s a huge guy, and he’s throwing his elbows around like that,” Devils forward Kurtis MacDermid said after the game. “You’ve got to learn how to hit properly and not injure players. I lost quite a bit of respect for him tonight.”
–Field Level Media
