New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe has played the role of the villain during his team's first-round series with the Washington Capitals, and in Game 3, he was in the spotlight again for a controversial hit on Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Van Riemsdyk played the puck back in the corner and was turning when Rempe ran into him, catching him up high and knocking him out of the game. The hit, which was a bit late, was called for interference, but Rempe avoided a major penalty on the play.
Though the hit stirred the pot, Rempe said he rewatched it and took the time to analyze and reflect on the play, and stands by it.
"I'm getting in on the forecheck. I'm getting in there, and my job's to finish hits there and be hard on the forecheck. I thought it was a clean hit. It was a quick play. I just went through the body," Rempe said. "Obviously you never want anyone to get hurt, and that's terrible that he's hurt and I'm sorry to hear about that. But I think it was a clean hit. I was just trying to play hard, move my feet and be physical.
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"Oh yeah, always. I always look at (my hits). I'm always trying to see because the big thing for me is I've got to keep everything compact. That's what I'm always looking for: no elbows I guess is one thing I've got to make sure. I'm so big that once I'm committed to a hit, I've got to make sure that everything's tucked and if guys are jumping out of the way I've got to make sure, hey, I can't stick anything out as a reactionary thing," Rempe said. "I've got to just miss the hit. I've just got to miss it. I've got to pull out of it. So when I look at that hit yesterday, it's like I went through the body. I thought everything was tucked. Everything was clean, compact. I went through the body. Just a big hit. Just caught him clean type of thing."
The Capitals disagree, with Nic Dowd calling it a "dirty hit" and calling out Rempe for targeting van Riemsdyk.
“I think anybody can understand that Riems made a play, timed pass, although quickly, and I think a player took advantage of another player in a vulnerable spot," Dowd added.
Tom Wilson also noted how it was late and targeted at a defenseman.
“I mean you guys have the stop watch up there. I haven’t watched it. I haven’t timed it out. I’ve been told you can’t hit that late. It’s a pretty late hit. It’s a target on one of our D," Wilson said. "You hate to see it. I think they’ll obviously look at it and take care of it. Seemed like a couple of steamboats late to me, but it happens fast out there.”
Related: Capitals Rip Rempe's Hit On Van Riemsdyk As Blue Line Takes Another Blow, 'Sick & Tired' Of Losing Defensemen: 'It Was A Dirty Hit'
Later in the game, Rempe found himself in an interesting spot, as Wilson pushed him and tried to goad him into a fight after he knocked Trevor van Riemsdyk out of the game.
Despite loving a good tilt and being a physical presence, and also knowing that the Capitals were trying to retaliate for Rempe's hit on van Riemsdyk, Rempe turned down No. 43, a player he looked up for and said he had a lot of respect for going into the series.
"I'm thinking, 'We're up in the game, we're up in the series' type of thing. If he's coming there, he's trying to give his team a spark. That's trying to give them more momentum type of thing, and I've just got to be cool and just keep composure and stay disciplined," Rempe said. "I don't want to take penalties in playoffs and stuff, and I just want to play inside my game. But I want to be very physical. I think that's a staple of my game. I think that's what it's got to be. I can skate good and get in on the forecheck and make those hits, so that's what I've got to do."
Related: Matt Rempe Appears To Decline Fight With Tom Wilson As Tension Builds For Capitals & Rangers In Game 3
As for whether or not he wants to fight Wilson going forward, he wouldn't comment.
"I got nothing," he said.
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