Rangers’ Matt Rempe gets a hearing after elbowing the defender

New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was offered an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after committing a game misconduct for elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Friday night.

According to Player Safety, Rempe is considered a repeat offender. He was previously suspended four games last season for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in March. The date of the hearing has not yet been set.

The NHL offers a player and his representatives an in-person hearing when a suspension could last six or more games, allowing an appeal to a neutral arbitrator after an initial appeal to commissioner Gary Bettman.

At 7:13 of the third period, Heiskanen passed the puck with his back to Rempe. The Rangers forward ran in, raised his arm and slammed Heiskanen’s head into the glass, causing the Dallas defender to fall to the ground and the players to gather in a melee.

Rempe received a major penalty and a game-misconduct penalty for elbowing, forcing the Rangers to use a 5-minute major penalty with a 2-1 lead in the third period. New York won the game 3-1. Heiskanen finished the game for Dallas.

This was Rempe’s first game for the Rangers since November 25th after he was recently recalled from AHL Hartford. He earned 17 penalty minutes in 5:32 of ice time, had one shot on goal and zero points.

Rempe was a sensation last season for the Rangers in 17 regular season and 11 playoff games thanks to his size (6’3″), big hits and energetic fights. He earned 71 penalty minutes in 17 games, but also the admiration of Rangers fans who chanted his name at home games even though he averaged 5:38 per game.

Rempe said before the season that he spent the summer perfecting all of his hockey skills, not just his fighting skills, by completing a month and a half of power skating drills in preparation for this season. But Rempe only appeared in five games for New York and failed to record a point with 24 penalty minutes. He scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 18 games for AHL Hartford.

The Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon.