Matt Rempe has become a huge fan favorite since he started playing his first game for the New York Rangers early in 2024. However, the towering forward has not been a regular in the lineup, and in the early parts of the 2024-25 season, he’s been a healthy scratch more often than not.
But on Tuesday, he was in the Rangers’ lineup for the first time in ten days, and he didn’t wait long to make his mark in the game by dropping the gloves against a true heavyweight opponent.
Rempe squared off with former Rangers defenseman Dylan McIlrath, now with the Washington Capitals, on his first shift of the game.
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The tilt between the two tough guys was long-awaited, and fans loved it when the gloves hit the ice. McIlrath and Rempe, standing at 6’5” and 6’9” respectively, exchanged heavy punches during the tilt.
A left punch left Rempe bloodied, and as McIlrath headed to the penalty box, he let out a loud roar while flexing his arms. Rempe immediately headed for the locker room for stitches on his left cheekbone.
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The two fought in the AHL back in 2022, and it was clear that this tilt held significant meaning for both of them.
Afterward, the general consensus among fans seemed to be that Rempe lost the fight, with many sharing the same sentiment: although Rempe always gets in the mix, fans are unsure just how skilled a fighter he truly is.
“Rempe: Big. McIlrath: Big and good at fighting,” one user said on social media.
“So, can we finally agree that Rempe is not a very good fighter?” another said.
“Has Rempe ever convincingly won a fight? I can’t think of one solid decision he’s gotten,” a third added.
“Oh look… another fight where Rempe gets dummied,” a fourth added.
The fight seemed to get the Capitals going, as they scored shortly after. The Capitals eventually won 5-3, and they’re now 6-2-0 to start the season.
Check out the heavyweight tilt here:
