Throughout last season, Rempe and the Rangers pushed around the Devils, winning a majority of the puck battles, outscoring the Devils 17-8. In addition, some hits by Rempe, were not only massive but the Devils believed to be borderline or over the line.

Related: Why Artemi Panarin already greatest Rangers player to wear No. 10

Matt Rempe leads the way physically for Rangers

In the first meeting after Rempe was called up to the Rangers on February 22, 2024, he was given a match penalty for his hit on Devils forward Nathan Bastian 2:25 into the first period. This hit stung Bastian, and while he returned to the game, Jacob Trouba struck Bastian again. This caused Bastian to fight Trouba. Already dealing with an injury, this fight was the last time we saw Bastian. He left the game and missed the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury.

Trouba, after the game, talked about how the Rangers play their best when using the speed and playing with a physical edge. That physical edge dates back to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round when Trouba hit Timo Meier in Game 7.

Again, the Devils had no answer for the Rangers physical play. While Jonas Siegenthaler tried to stand up for his teammates, he was no match for Rempe. The Devils needed an answer. Getting tired of being pushed around, New Jersey traded for Kurtis MacDermid. However, it took some time before New Jersey stood up to the Rangers.

Rempe was given a five-minute and a-game misconduct for elbowing Siegenthaler in the meeting after the trade deadline. However, before MacDermid could get his hands on Rempe and stand up for his teammates, the referees broke up the two players and kicked everyone out of the game. Rempe was suspended four games for his hit on Siegenthaler. But this was far from over between the Devils and Rangers.

Read more: Why Rangers second power-play unit deserves fair shake

Fight Night for Rangers and Devils

The Devils’ and Rangers’ final meeting on April 3, 2024, was Fight Night at Madison Square Garden. The game started with the feel of the line brawl from 2012. Tensions were boiling between Rempe and MacDermid. MacDermid did not like the wave of “bye-bye” in the prior meeting. However, this time, the Devils would not be pushed around.

Travis Green, the Devils head coach at the time, started his fourth line, and the Rangers coach, Peter Laviolette, matched with his fourth line. Two seconds into the game, the Devils did not waste any time, as Curtis Lazar asked Jimmy Vesey to fight. MacDermid squared off with Rempe, with Chris Tierney, Kevin Bahl, and John Marino matching up with Barclary Goodrow, K’Andre Miller, and Trouba.

With Lazar and Vesey starting the initial fight, the rest of the players, including Rempe, Goodrow, Miller, and Trouba, were thrown out. The Rangers had pushed the Devils to the limit regarding physical play. New Jersey had enough of being tossed around by a bigger, stronger team.

Rangers rivals get bigger, stronger this offseason

Outside of Kurtis MacDermid, the Devils did not have anyone on their roster to match the physicality the Rangers brought to every match-up. It is not on Nico Hischier or Timo Meier to go out of their weight class to fight a guy like Matt Rempe. That will change after New Jersey added size and strength to their lineup.

So, that’s why their first move this offseason was to re-sign MacDermid, after the heavyweight was acquired ahead of the trade deadline last spring.

Then on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency, Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon were added to the defense corps. The Devils also brought back a familiar faces Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar. Before that, the Devils added Paul Cotter from the Vegas Golden Knights via trade on Day 2 of the NHL Draft.

Each brings a rugged element to his game.

Because of the Matt Rempe factor, the Devils added players over six feet tall, weighing between 200 and 225 pounds. As new head coach Sheldon Keefe and president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald had said during the offseason, the Devils will have a bit of violence next season.

Expect fireworks next season between the Devils and Rangers. This is all due to Rempe and the Rangers being more physical and throwing their weight around. Can they do it again this season?

“That was a banger,” Rempe told reporters, later adding, “It was wicked.”

Indeed it was.

All 10 skaters dropped their gloves two seconds after the opening face-off to start a game that featured 166 penalty minutes and eight players ejected. Everyone in the sold-out Garden knew Rempe was going to fight Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid when their names appeared in the starting lineups. No one could have guessed the full-scale mayhem that ensued.

“Those guys are my brothers,” Rempe told Vince Mercogliano of LoHud.com. “That wasn’t planned or anything. It just kind of happened naturally. I think that was really special that they did that, as well. I knew that I was going to have to fight. It’s not a big deal − answer the bell type of thing. It happens, but for them to go to war with me was pretty dang special. … I love all those guys.”

The beautiful game… #NYR pic.twitter.com/2vvJg92UyV

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) April 3, 2024

Mercogliano reported that Rempe was so amped following the melee that he was bouncing around the locker room after he, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller and Barclay Goodrow each received a game misconduct to go along with five-minute fighting majors. The four exiled Rangers got a workout in while their teammates rallied for a 4-3 victory, though Rempe was also a source of entertainment with his excitement.

“He’s living his best life right now,” coach Peter Laviolette said.

Related: Kaapo Kakko had funny thought after Rangers line brawl with Devils

Matt Rempe, Rangers teammates ‘in this thing together’

It was a special moment for Rempe, to be embraced in such a way by his teammates. Instead of fighting his own battle against a Devils team angry that Rempe had hurt two of their players in previous games, including an elbow against defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler that resulted in a four-game suspension, the Rangers rallied around their 6-foot-8 rookie.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a team-building exercise, in a sense” Trouba said. “We’re all in this thing together. He’s not left out there on his own. We’re all with him, every step of the way.”

A FULL ON 5v5 LINE BRAWL TO START THE GAME 😱

CHAOS AT MSG ‼️ https://t.co/k95BsP34xA

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024

In three games this season against the Devils, Rempe has played a shade over five minutes total and was ejected from each. After being verbally trashed by MacDermid following a March 11 game when Rempe refused to be goaded into a fight, the towering forward received his due from the Devils tough guy Wednesday.

“I’m always going to have a lot of respect for him,” MacDermid said postgame. “He’s a young kid just trying to do his thing trying to stay in the League, and I understand that. … He’s a big, tough, strong kid … He’s a good showing so far.”

Rempe had cuts to his mouth and knuckles after his marathon bout with MacDermid, one that featured big blows landed by each.

It was absolutely the Main Event of the night.

And one that Rempe isn’t soon to forget.

While they did go soon after the opening draw, Devils forward Curtis Lazar jumped Jimmy Vesey to beat them to the punch. That was followed by Rangers center Barclay Goodrow grabbing defenseman Kevin Bahl, and John Marino unwisely tangling with the much stronger K’Andre Miller. Eventually, Chris Tierney and Rangers captain Jacob Trouba decided not to be left out of the party, and all 10 skaters on the ice started to brawl.

As the players paraded to the penalty box, Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette and Devils interim coach Travis Green got into a heated exchange. Finally, the dust settled, leaving the referees to rule that Lazar and Vesey was the first fight, leading to the ejections of the other eight players for secondary fighting.

“Our guys were reacting to what was happening on the ice,” said Laviolette, who appeared to blame Green for what took place. “I thought all five of them did a fantastic job … Coaches, players, there’s obviously a thing between the two teams and emotions get in there.”

Things stayed testy after Rangers’ rookie Will Cuylle hit Brendan Smith from behind, and was jumped by Dawson Mercer. All in all, the teams combined for 166 penalty minutes (88 for the Devils and 78 for the Rangers).

By the way, the Rangers rallied with two goals in the third period to sweep the regular-season series with a 4-3 victory.

Related: Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid lead brawl at the Garden

Rangers Recall: Fighting for each other

The last time these teams played on March 11, MacDermid chased Rempe around trying to make him answer for a hit on Nathan Bastian that left the Devils’ forward hurt and bloodied. At the time of that incident (February 22), MacDermid wasn’t even on the Devils; he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on March 1 in response, knowing they had two more games against the Blueshirts.

In that contest, Rempe ignored MacDermid’s requests to fight and was later ejected for an elbow to the head of Jonas Siegenthaler, earning a four-game suspension. This infuriated MacDermid, who called out the rookie in a postgame rant.

“After a hit like that, it kind of goes without saying you should answer the bell and be a man about it,” MacDermid said. “The game goes on and he throws another hit like that … There’s a right way to go about it things and a wrong way. I kind of lost a lot of respect for him tonight.”

Rempe was apologetic for the hit to Siegenthaler’s head, claiming he was trying to brace himself going into the boards. At 6-foot-8, it doesn’t take much for his elbow to be at someone else’s eye-level. However, there was no way he was going to let those comments slide.

The kid and the vet danced with each other for about a minute, each landing several big blows refusing to relent. MacDermid got his pound of flesh and Rempe continues to live up to his tough reputation.

“We both figured we were gonna go,” a much calmer MacDermid said postgame. “I’m always going to have a lot of respect for him. He’s a young kid just trying to do his thing to stay in the League and I understand that. He’s a big, tough, strong kid.”

New York and New Jersey are no strangers to brawls, as these two teams engaged in a similar situation back on March 19, 2012. However, in that contest only six of the 10 skaters on the ice had a go. Of course, the Rangers and Devils had a bench-clearing brawl at the end of Game 6 in their 1992 playoff series, which New York won in seven games.

As for Rempe, he’s become a legend in this rivalry after being ejected in all three games in his career against the Devils. How’s this for a stat line? 3 GP, +1, 47 PIM, 5:01 TOI.

Brawl could’ve been avoided

Green knew exactly what he was doing by starting MacDermid and Lazar. The former is a pure enforcer, and the latter has been known to mix it up on occasion. Being the home team, Laviolette gets last change, and had little choice but to respond with some of his tougher players opposite that group.

Despite Green’s plead of ignorance as to why Laviolette was so angry with what transpired, he basically justified his counterpart’s feelings.

“None of this would have happened, which we all know why it did happen tonight,” Green referenced Rempe’s choice not to fight in their last meeting. “None of it would have happened if something happened the game before. It was obvious that they didn’t want it to happen that game. I have no idea why Peter would have been upset? That’s not on me why he’s upset.”

Laviolette responded to questions about his argument with Green by citing emotions and the heat of the moment. However, he concluded in a manner that implied otherwise.

“How’s that for vague?”

What the starting Rangers players did on the ice and how their coach responded was not lost on anyone in the locker room.

“‘Lavi’ has our backs just as much as we do each others, and we have his,” defenseman Adam Fox said after playing nearly 30 minutes. “We weren’t going out there to make a mockery of the game. They were looking for a response, so he was just having our backs.”

At the end of the day, Rempe and MacDermid would’ve found a spot to go in the match. By starting with that lineup, it was evident that the Devils wanted to get things going, even if no one expected an all-out brawl.

A full 5v5 fight breaks out to start the Rangers vs Devils game! #NYR

Chaos at MSG!!!https://t.co/PxFzJbviOW

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) April 3, 2024

Topping the bill, to no one’s surprise, was a heavyweight tilt between Matt Rempe and Kurtis MacDermid, that was a long time coming. MacDermid tried to goad Rempe into a fight the last time these teams played March 11 and then called the 6-foot-8 rookie out after Rempe received a match penalty for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

Rempe was suspended four games for that hit and Siegenthaler missed time with a concussion.

Rempe and MacDermid were speaking before the opening face-off and the Rangers forward moved backwards before the puck dropped to prepare for the fight. He and MacDermid sized each other up and then began exchanging big blows. They were finally separated when too exhausted to continue.

Despite bleeding from the mouth, Rempe barked at the Devils bench and then waved his arms to further pump up the Garden crowd after the bout.

Related: Former Rangers enforcer understands why fans ’embrace’ Matt Rempe

Matt Rempe, Rangers engage in wild line brawl against Devils

Though Rempe-MacDermid was the Main Event, it wasn’t the only fight. In fact, Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey and Curtis Lazar of the Devils were the first players to begin fighting, after just two seconds elapsed off the game clock.

That became an important fact because the other players who started fighting afterward were all assessed game misconducts and ejected from the game. So, each team was down to 14 skaters. Only Vesey and Lazar were allowed to return after serving their five-minute majors.

The Rangers lost two of their top defenseman since Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller were among those assessed game misconducts. New York also lost Barclay Goodrow and Rempe. New Jersey had to play the rest of the game without defensemen Kevin Bahl and John Marino and forwards Chris Tierney and MacDermid.

Rempe has now been ejected from each of the three games he’s played against the Devils this season. On Feb. 22 at Prudential Center, Rempe totaled 17 penalty minutes and was kicked out of the game for a hit on Devils forward Nathan Bastian. And on March 11 at MSG, Rempe was assessed a match penalty for the elbow against Siegenthaler.

Rempe played three games after his suspension concluded without incident and with limited ice time. He was then scratched the past three games.

“When Matt comes back, we want him to play his game. It’s that simple,” Laviolette stated Tuesday after practice.

The fireworks continued at 4:27 of the first period when Rangers forward Will Cuylle got into a spirited fight with Dawson Mercer. Cuylle received a two-minute minor for boarding Brendan Smith and five minutes for fighting. Mercer received two minutes for instigating, five for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct.

The Rangers went on to win 4-3, rallying from a goal down in the third period to sweep the four-game season series.

The 21-year-old rookie, who has become the center of attention on Broadway and the fixation of every NHL tough guy, had an eventful final minute of play in the second period. After winning a draw and causing a screen that led to the Rangers game-winning goal by Erik Gustafsson, Rempe tried to put a stamp on the game with one of his signature booming hits.

As he lined up Siegenthaler along the boards, the defenseman pulled back to avoid contact, and Rempe’s elbow caught him on the jaw, knocking him out for the game.

Matt Rempe was assessed a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct for this hit. pic.twitter.com/xkax6SRBQw

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 12, 2024

A melee ensued with Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid getting a 10-minute misconduct trying to fight Rempe, who he was desperately trying to goad from puck drop. That’s because the last time these two teams played on February 22nd, Rempe laid out Nathan Bastian with a monstrous hit and was ejected for what was ruled a hit to the head. It’s likely one of the primary reasons MacDermid was acquired leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline.

“After a hit like that, it kind of goes without saying you should answer the bell and be a man about it,” MacDermid said. “The game goes on and he throws another hit like that … There’s a right way to go about it things and a wrong way. I kind of lost a lot of respect for him tonight.”

Related: Mark Messier ‘all in’ on Matt Rempe

Matt Rempe causing a stir in the NHL

Rempe-mania has taken the League by storm as the 6-foot-8 giant continues to make an impression in every game he plays. To date, he has two points (one goal, one assist), 31 hits, and a staggering 54 penalty minutes in just 10 games.

However, this last hit where his elbow chicken wings into Siegenthaler’s head is going to garner a look by NHL Department of Player Safety. Similar hits have almost always earned a suspension of a few games in the past.

Of course, it wasn’t just the hit that MacDermid was mad about. As Rempe was being ejected, he waved at him and the Devils with a big smile on his face.

“I just wish I could’ve got to him sooner and taught him a lesson,” MacDermid said. “He’s a young kid and he has a lot to learn still. You don’t do things like that your first year in the League.”

The comments by MacDermid, who plays less than five minutes a night, contradicts what many others have said about Rempe. That includes the NHL’s top enforcer, Ryan Reaves, who went after the rookie all game in Toronto on March 2.

“He’s seems to be a really nice, humble kid,” Reaves said. “That’s a big boy. He’s gonna be a menace in this League.”

The Hudson River rivals will meet one more time this season on April 3 at Madison Square Garden. It was a contest already circled on many people’s calendars before the season started, but now it’s been circled again with a Sharpie and colored in with a yellow highlighter.

"I kind of lost a lot of respect for him tonight"#NJDevils Kurtis MacDermid on Rangers' Matt Rempe declining to fight and elbow to Jonas Siegenthaler that resulted in 5-minute major, game misconduct pic.twitter.com/8F0FgfQTXg

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 12, 2024