NHL referees need to ease up on Matt Rempe

What's been known to New York Rangers fans for some time should now be very apparent to all National Hockey League fans; the NHL referees really do not like Matt Rempe.

22-year-old Blueshirt enforcer and forward Rempe has made an impression on Rangers fans since returning from his suspension. After being suspended for eight games, without pay, for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during NHL Game No. 525 in Dallas on Friday, Dec. 20, Rempe has since recorded two assists and one goal. It has been apparent that the budding young fan-favorite has been making an effort to improve his game.

In fact, Rempe previously said that he cannot afford to put up another hit like he did in Dallas if he wants to grow his skill.

"I've got to still play my game but also, [a hit like that] can't happen again. If it does it's going to be a a huge suspension so I've got to be a lot smarter. I don't have to make every hit, if that makes sense," Rempe said. "I'm so big and I can get going so I've got to be able to pick my hits and know its going to be a good hit. I can make an impact with that."

And he has played smarter — as evidenced by his backhanded goal against the Ottawa Senators, assist in Las Vegas and assist on teammate Sam Carrick's goal against Colorado.

Despite this the referees still overly analyze the 6'9", 255 pound Canadien. During Sunday's eventual 5-3 win over Pittsburgh, Rempe originally caused play to stop and received a major penalty for a hit on Penguins' player Matt Grzelcyk. Upon review, the play was downgraded to a two-minute minor penalty.

The unfortunate factor of Rempe being significantly bigger than Grzelcyk (5'11") seems to be the reason for any injury. He didn't stride or hit from the side, didn't launch and most importantly didn't contact the head. The hit wasn’t even from behind, making it a clean check. Rempe simply got the penalty for being the bigger skater.

While, yes, it is natural for referees to look at Rempe extra closely given his proclivity for dropping his gloves; it should not interfere with the quality of any contest. The refs should be able to differentiate a clean hit from an unjust one — regardless of size — based on their studies of the official rulebook.

"There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of [Rule 41 - Boarding] by the Referees. The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenseless position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact. However, in determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule."

NHL Official Rules 2024-25

And at the end of the day, a clean hit should not be called a penalty. It is time for referees to let go of Rempe's suspension because he served his time and let him play.