The 2024 Line Brawl vs Devils is a good reminder of the Rangers will to fight

The New York Rangers will play the New Jersey Devils on Saturday as two old rivals renew their hostilities. We'll see if the desperate New York Rangers can hand their Hudson River rivals a loss and take two more points to close the gap to the Montreal Canadiens once again. It will be a fight, and the Rangers will need someone to lead the way into the altercation looming in a nationally broadcast matinee.

It is an interesting scenario because a few years ago, the New York Rangers were led into a brawl against that dumpster fire from across the river, and it ended up in one of the most memorable moments of the last few seasons. New York and New Jersey, Rangers and Devils, a long and fierce rivalry reignited under the bright lights of Broadway at Madison Square Garden. A full-on line brawl like it was in the 1980s was the headline the following day.

Matt Rempe was asked to fight Kurtis MacDermid, the grinder the Devils explicitly acquired, to have an answer to the young Calgarian. Rempe made a questionable hit in a game a few weeks earlier, and the Devils were unhappy, so off the opening draw, Rempe dropped the gloves. However, the New York Rangers decided that their young giant would not undergo his altercation alone, and the other four members decided to fight alongside him.

The night in question is also remembered as the night K'Andre Miller beat the snot out of John Marino, which was fun. Barclay Goodrow, Jacob Trouba, and Jimmy Vesey also dropped the gloves in solidarity with Rempe, but they have all found new homes now and are all looking for greener pastures. Rempe himself is dealing with an upper-body concern, so there is no certainty of round two happening this weekend.