Matt Rempe has made his presence felt with the New York Rangers, but recent officiating has left him and the whole team frustrated.
The 6-foot-9 forward received two controversial penalties in back-to-back games, the first in a loss against the Winnipeg Jets and then a questionable interference call in the Rangers' overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
According to USA Today's Vince Mercogliano, quoting Rempe after the Wild game, the referee admitted to Rempe that the call was a mistake.
“It’s frustrating, for sure. I don’t agree with the calls,” Rempe said, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “That one last night, the guy just ran into me. I know I’m a big guy who plays a physical game, it’s unfortunate.”
Despite the penalties, Rempe has no intention of adjusting his aggressive style.
“I’m not changing my game,” Rempe said. “I’m going to go be fast, be physical, go make plays. My game has to lead with speed and physicality. If I start going around and trying to be cautious, that’s not me. That’s not my game."The farthest thing I want to be is a big teddy bear, that’s the last thing I want to be.”
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette also expressed concern over the treatment Rempe is receiving from officials.
“I think he draws attention,” Laviolette said after the win over Minnesota. “Just the size of him and the way he plays the game. It just draws attention.
"It’s unfortunate because, sometimes like tonight, he’s not really doing anything and he’s in the box.”
Laviolette revealed that the team has had conversations with the league about the officiating decisions against Rempe.
“There’s always conversations that go on,” Laviolette said. “The game happens fast out there. But with regard to Matt, we’re just trying to get him the benefit of the doubt once in a while.”
Rempe has been under the league’s spotlight since his debut, earning two multi-game suspensions in his first 48 NHL games, the most recent last December when the league banned him for eight games.
Since returning from that eight-game suspension, after saying he's "a marked man," Rempe has become a reliable fourth-line player for the Rangers and hasn't endured any other multi-game ban, contributing on the forecheck and penalty kill.
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