The packed house got a full serving of brutal scenes that have largely disappeared from hockey in recent times. "Brawls in hockey are the best sports entertainment, period," former Hall of Fame defenseman P.K. Subban wrote on social network X after the game, which the home team won 4-3 after a turnaround, but the goals were not what was primarily talked about.
Just two seconds were enough to make it clear to everyone in the arena that this was not going to be any ordinary game. Sure, the Rangers and Devils are perennial rivals, but gone are the days when physicality ruled hockey and fourth lines were full of grinders who didn't wait long for a fight. However, the lives of hockey fight lovers have been enriched in previous weeks by a man named Matt Rempe. He was the one who caused the mass brawl.
The 21-year-old Canadian was followed by the similarly built - and, it must be said, considerably more experienced - Kurtis MacDermid of New Jersey. And it was clear that the gloves were going to come off almost immediately, as both defensemen lined up next to each other on the wing during the faceoff.
But everyone on the ice was swept away by the wild atmosphere. Everyone found an opponent as the gloves started to rain down on the ice. The main event was, of course, the heavyweight battle between Rempe and MacDermid, which earned an above-average rating of 7.09 from the fans on hockeyfights.com. And although it seemed more like a victory for the Devils, the rest of the crowd was not against it and the arena was roaring. Both benches were on their feet as well.
Both penalty benches filled up like an early subway train, but not for long. Jimmy Vesey and Curtis Lazar were the first to go at it according to the referees, and they were the only ones left on the bench of shame as well. The rest had to go to the locker rooms. Those are the rules. If there's already one fight on the ice, once another one occurs, all other players are prohibited from continuing in the game at all.
This was not a pleasant situation for either club, leaving only four defensemen instead of six available for the game. Slovakian youngster Simon Nemec had the lowest ice time (26:23), while his teammate Luke Hughes had the highest (32:49). But nobody regretted it. "We stood up for each other," star home team defenseman Adam Fox, who had two assists in the win, said to NHL.com.
It was clear to MacDermid that the game would start with a brawl, but no one expected the full five-man lineup to get involved. Even coaches Peter Laviolette and Travis Green looked like they were about to pounce on each other. "I have to give all five guys on the ice credit, they acted the way they felt on the ice," Laviolette said.
So New York saw some good old-time hockey, but how did the whole situation actually come about? You don't see that much conflict anymore in a competition that has made such fisticuffs less and less common in recent years.
Rempe's detonator shot
Rempe, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, only entered the NHL on February 18th in an outdoor derby with the New York Islanders. During his first outing, the youngster was approached by seasoned and respected hard-man Matt Martin and asked if he wanted to start his career by fighting in front of 70,000 spectators. And so the new face of the Rangers brawled in his first match in the best league in the world.
Rempe quickly became a fan favourite, registering a goal and an assist in his first five games, but more importantly, he brawled three times. He didn't always win, but he was never afraid and came out hard and fast. Blood or bruises on his face were not an unusual occurrence for him and soon he made his first enemies in the league.
At the end of February, during Rempe's third game in the NHL, he literally ran over Nathan Bastian from New Jersey and drew a match penalty. Just eight days later, it was clear that in the next clash between these two clubs, the ice would be hot. On the first day of March, the Devils management brought in MacDermid, one of the most feared hitters in the league, from Colorado. The signal had been sent.
The next meeting between these two teams occurred on March 11th, and MacDermid was already grinding his teeth at Rempe. The newcomer drew a lot of attention to himself with a dirty tackle on outfielder Jonas Siegenthaler (for which he was subsequently given a four-game suspension by the competition management). After that, MacDermid, with his gloves already off, came at him but the referees wouldn't let him, and Rempe also gave his rival a wave on his way to the locker room, which only made MacDermid madder.
"I wish I had been there earlier and taught him a lesson," MacDermid regretted after the match. "He's still young and learning, but he shouldn't be acting like that during his first year in the competition. He's lost a little bit of my respect," the Devils defenseman added about the provocative waving and was probably already flipping through the calendar to see when the two clubs would meet again.
The long-awaited rematch
MacDermid was in luck as both teams would meet again before the end of the season, and it was clear to everyone that something was going to happen on Wednesday in New York. Rempe became the darling of the home side within a month and more and more fans started showing up in the stands wearing his jersey. But MacDermid wanted his revenge; his opponent had yet to pay for his behaviour and that's exactly what happened.
"I'm sure no one expected the whole five to come at each other, but it's great to see us fighting as a team. Just like the rest of the team who had to finish the game without four players," MacDermid explained to club TV after the game, not forgetting to add how sorry he was for the squandered 3-1 lead and subsequent 3-4 defeat.
The reporters' questions after the game were mainly directed to the opening brawl. "We said a few things, but not many words were needed. We both knew what was going to happen next and that we were going to go for it," described the 2022 Stanley Cup winner with Colorado, this time not forgetting to add that Rempe had regained his respect.
"He's a young kid and he's trying to make a name for himself here. He's big and strong and I think he's going to do well here," he concluded, praising Rempe, but he didn't forget about his teammates and praised them for how they handled the situation.
The melee also impressed the professional public. For example, former Rangers goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, who provided expert insights on the game, was enthusiastic in the studio. "That was a start, this is what the 'Battle of the Hudson' should look like, you just have to love it," he wrote on the social network X, recalling the title that used to be used for the battles between the two teams from either side of the Hudson River.
It's just a shame that the two clubs are unlikely to meet again this season with the Devils needing a minor miracle to make the playoffs.
