Earlier this season, Peter Laviolette answered with complete honesty when asked if a first-year player ever has brought so much to a team as Matt Rempe has done for the Rangers this year.
Laviolette has been behind the bench in the NHL for 22 seasons but couldn’t recall a breakthrough like the one Rempe has had.
”I can’t think of a player that’s come in and had that kind of impact on a team, on a fan base and on the city,” he said. ”If you watch him, he just smiles. He’s just happy. Loves being here, loves to play the game. He’s been great.”
Matt Rempe played his first-ever NHL game this year but became an immediate fan favorite.
He fought in his first shift ever and continued to drop the gloves with some of the toughest guys in the league throughout spring.
Rempe didn’t contribute all that much offensively, but that was never his role in this team.
Instead, he’s been laying huge hits, getting under his opponents’ skins, and dropping gloves every week.
Rempe has been a sensation, and the crowd has been screaming Rempe chants at the MSG almost every game since his debut.
But what made Rempe the player he is today?
Earlier this year, he revealed which player he idolized when younger, and his answer made so much sense.
Tom Wilson isn’t the most popular player among the NHL fanbase, but to Rempe, he was one to look up to.
“When I was younger, I think there’s this montage of [Wilson] on YouTube just blowing guys up,” Rempe said. “I used to watch that sometimes when I was younger, it got me fired up.”
Rempe doesn’t just look at Wilson as a tough guy, but also a great player.
”I like the way he plays. He plays hard, very skilled player as well. It’s a guy who does a lot of different things. Obviously, I got a lot of respect for that guy,” Rempe said. ”I think he’s a hell of a player…. I know he’s a really good competitor.”
