So happy for this kid to score last night. It was a really nice goal too. Tremendous assist as well from the other giant. Size, strenght, "reach" and persistence paid off for the 4th line and its a lot of fun to watch unfold.
Rempe is such a fan favorite at the Garden. Cultish following for him. On HF not so much. He gets a ton of flak here and with good reason. Dumb penalties hurt. HF Boards is not very forgiving.
Im going to remain a fan of this kid. He didn't have much of a chance to make the NHL with the overall package. He had to learn how to scrap, and play that style of game to even get a chance. His rookie season was one to remember. Sophmore slumped to where it was uncertain if he would get another chance. If the club itself didn't hit turbulence after the Trouba trade I don't think he would have been recalled. But he did, and he's making it count.
There's a lot of posters that mock his game. That's understandable. There's a lot of gaps. I feel like he loses his stick way too much. He also goes way out of the way at times to make a hit. Timing is not always on his side there. His skating in the straight line is solid for a cat his size. He edgework fails more often then not. There's something about the overall package though. I feel like the team has a different feel to it when he plays. I also find myself cheering a little louder when he makes a play. Jimmy Vesey is a far better player. But i honestly cant say the team as a whole is better with Vesey in over Rempe.
On his fighting. He's average. He's got a really good chin. Seems like he lacks a bit of power. He lacks balance, and maybe even strenght for a guy his size. He's willing, he doesn't pick spots, and he is totally fearless. Those 3 attributes combined with the size make him very formidable. If he played in the late 90's, alot of guys would have chewed him up. It was a different time. Probert, Kocur, Twist, Brashear etc. For todays crop of enforcers he's just fine. He lost to Wifi. Wifi is easily among the best currently in the NHL at his trade. His only loss was to Oliver who is making the case for the top NHL heavyweight. Rempe lost to McIlrath this year as well. McIlrath has alot more experience there, and he too is one of the best at what he does. So for todays standards, Rempe is a solid heavyweight. He's far too wide open in his style to ever wear the crown, but he does the job just fine. Also, he's just a kid and likely going to get better at it like so many others before him. Eric Cairns is a great example. At 6'6 225lbs Cairns came into the league as a young buck trying to stick by taking on the enforcer role. Rangers gave him a shot. His first fight with the Rangers was vs Craig Berube. Cairns went on the offensive and threw some haymakers. Berube who could chuck em with the best of the best weathered the storm, and landed one right on the beak. Cairns dropped. Rangers sent him back to the AHL. Later they brought him back and he was very similar to Rempe. Was bigger then most of the opposition, but didn't seem to win too many. Rangers gave up on him in 2 years and he went to the Isles. Cairns with the Isles became a menace. He played 6 seasons with there, and went on to be the top enforcer in the league at that time. He ended up playing 457 NHL games. Another guy that really stands out as an enforcer who lost more then he won early on was Rob Ray. In his first two seasons, Ray basically lost every fight he was in, and lost them badly! He then figured it out. Another guy who went on to become a beast of an Enforcer with a lenghy career. The 90's era of hockey is over. We as fans will likely never see those days again. But as the league progresses so do the fighters in the trade. I think Rempe can stick around some, and put his mark on the NHL. I don't ever see him playing full NHL seasons, now will he ever become a Tom Wilson type. I do think there is a place though for him. That place is being the physical 4th line menace that every team knows when he is in the lineup.
Rangers have a lot of puddy to work with here. They need to mold it. And if they can, they will have a very intimidating player that can really get under the oppositions skin. I'm glad he is a NYR.
