- Rempe dropped the gloves less than 90 seconds into state rivalry game
- The fight likely sets the record for the fastest penalty in an NHL career.
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New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe immediately got into a fight during his first shift of his NHL debut against New York Islanders veteran Matt Martin during a Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Rempe was already making NHL history as the first player to make his league debut in an outdoor game, and likely set NHL records for the fastest fight in a career and thus the penalty. faster.
Less than 90 seconds into the Empire State rivalry clash, Martin and Rempe lined up across from each other at center ice for a showdown.
Before the relationship officially ended, Rempe and Martin took off their gloves and started punching each other.
Rempe had earned a reputation in youth and minor league hockey as an enforcer, residing on the third or fourth line and not shying away from physical play.
Rempe exchanged blows with Martin for about 30 seconds before the linesmen separated him.
Martin has plenty of NHL fight experience, while Rempe fought him during his first NHL turn.
Rempe did not disappoint in his NHL debut, using his long reach to overpower Martin during the fight. The fight lasted about 30 seconds and neither man was knocked down.
That intimidating presence, along with Rempe’s size (he’s 6-foot-7) could add some much-needed toughness to a Rangers team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
While New York could still make a move to land a more experienced enforcer before the NHL trade deadline on March 8, Rempe is an option for the franchise already under contract.
Rempe, 21, finished the game without another penalty and with a hit at 4:26 on the ice.
However, Rempe did not reach the climax of his fight with Martin again.
Martin has earned a reputation in NHL fighting circles as one of the toughest guys in the league, and it’s not often that he fights a bigger opponent. He did it against Rempe.
The Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-5 in overtime, with a two-goal comeback in the final five minutes of the game.
Fights at outdoor NHL games are not common. The last one before Martin vs Rempe was exactly a year earlier, when Capitals forward Anthony Mantha battled Carolina’s Jordan Martinook.