David Kirouac-Imagn images
New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens enforcers Matt Rempe and Arber Xhekaj took the spotlight during an Original Six matchup on Sunday night.
It was early in the second period when the two fighters decided to drop their gloves. Rempe met Xhekaj in the corner and hit him with a forecheck. They both went to the front of the net and despite minimal contact, they started trading punches soon after.
After Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes froze the puck, Xhekaj pushed Rempe away from the net. Suddenly, the Rangers right winger threw his gloves onto the ice and grabbed the Habs defenseman.
Xhekaj took three punches from Rempe before throwing a few of his own. They both licked each other and took quite a few thrusts to connect. Montreal’s D-man connected with a pair of left jabs, but New York’s enforcer answered with a pair of rights of his own. Everything came to an end when Xhekaj put his arms around Rempe and took him to the ice.
Rempe got two extra minutes in the box for roughing and they both got five-minute majors for fighting.
It’s been a fiery battle between the Blueshirts and the Habs. In the first period, four players were sent to the penalty area for preparation following a huge scrum near the benches.
Between Rempe and
Xhekaj almost got involved in another fight against Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves on Saturday. The Maple Leafs right winger challenged the 23-year-old to a fight as Montreal held a 3-0 lead in the first period.
However, Xhekaj waved Reaves away and pointed to the scoreboard, suggesting it wouldn’t be wise for him to give in to a tilt that could give the Maple Leafs some energy. However, things backfired somewhat as the Leafs scored seven unanswered goals in a 7-3 victory for Toronto.
According to HockeyFights, the Habs blueliner has been in three fights this season and the Rempe tilt was his fourth of the campaign. His last fight was against Patrick Maroon of the Chicago Blackhawks on January 3.
As for Rempe, this is his first NHL fight of 2025 and fourth of the season. His first was a dance with Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath. The 22-year-old also took part in two bouts in the minors with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack
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