Tonights MSG sellout crowd will be looking for one of three things: 1. A Rempe goal; 2. A Rempe blockbuster bodycheck and, 3. -- Heaven help us -- Matt The Mauler's first fight in his home arena.
It's quite possible that the newest, most popular New York Ranger, Matt Rempe, will meet his match tonight when the Devils strut into The Garden.
And, as always, since the recent start of Matt Mania, all MSG eyes will be trained on our hero from Calgary via Hartford to Seventh Avenue.
The sellout crowd will be looking for one of three things: 1. A Rempe goal; 2. A Rempe blockbuster bodycheck and, 3. -- Heaven help us -- Matt The Mauler's first fight in his home arena.
Or, as the case may be, all three of the above.
And, if I'm a Devils fan tonight I would consider this a game of revenge for the absolute drubbing The Blueshirts hung on the Devils in their home rink the last time they played at The Rock.
Doing his imitation of a runaway truck on the New Jersey Turnpike, The Rempster ran over Nathan Bastian something awful, like Nat The Bat was an innocent waterbug crossing the highway for a short beer.
Nobody on the Devils gave Rempe what-for because -- at the time -- GM Tom Fitzgerald's club lacked anyone big enough or belligerent enough to take on the biggest, heaviest player in Gary Bettman's league.
But that was then and this is now.
Since Fitzie couldn't find a broth of a boy as big as Chris Drury's skating giraffe, he got a reasonable facsimile in defenseman Kurtis McDermid who measures a healthy 6-5, 233 and doesn't list "The Skater's Waltz" as his favorite background music.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bHbFwysnP0[/embed]
Far be it from The Maven to suggest that Big Mac is a Devil merely to meet The Mauler. He's a defenseman and, if there's anything New Jersey needs as much as a win it's a defenseman who knows his job requirements. (Pugilism is high on his list.)
Granted, the Devils highest priority is staying alive in the playoff race. But for tonight, revenge is right up there. With that in mind nobody's memory of the last Rangers-Devils clash is more acute than that of Devils radio analyst Glenn (Chico) Resch.
"I just hope all the Devils show up and 'beat' the Rangers on the scoreboard," Chico allowed.
Another Devils pal referred to what he called the Blueshirts "arrogance" at The Rock and acts of "rubbing salt into New Jersey's wounds."
He added: "Beating the Rangers and helping Carolina overtake them for first place is high on my list."
High on the Rangers list is a continuation of its well-oiled power play which, at the moment, is counterpointed by the Devs' PP failures.
"Our power play," concluded Resch, "has become power-poor. Maybe tonight it turns around."
Perhaps, but let's not kid ourselves, folks: This is what matters in The Maven's mind:
1. The Devils are thirsting for revenge.
2. The Rangers want to stay ahead of Carolina
3. Matt The Mauler will be happy to score a goal; AND turn The World's Most Famous Arena into The Rempe Rumpus Room!
A word to the wise: Master McDermid: Beware of The Rempe Effect!