Rangers now have a fourth-liner good enough to be a second-liner.
"WE WANT REMPE!
The fans' chants at Madison Square Garden these days and nights are being heard as often as referees' whistles.
But the Rangers' Rempe-ified answer to a rock star is being handled as delicately as The Hope Diamond or the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder.
Well, The Maven has something to say about that; Rempe being the "That" in this case.
If this skating mountain from Calgary played so well in the 4-1 playoff opener at MSG, then he deserves a lot more ice time than the paltry eight minutes or so with which coach Peter Laviolette graced him.
Look at my logic, if you please. The stratospheric rookie scored the game's first goal, igniting his fellow Blueshirts; not to mention the crowd.
He finished the game with a plus-2 rating, banged a few bodies and was smart enough to reject a fight invitation from low-quality Washington defender Dylan McIllrath.
Plus, the fourth-liners — they still need a nickname — proved to be the best unit on the ice.
Give these guys more ice time, Lavvy; they've earned it.
Not that I'm gonna go to war with the coach for sticking with his limited time plan. Plus, Pistol Pete is wise enough to clue Remper & Co. into his plans/.
"I talk to him," said Laviolette, "and he has a game plan every game."
And Rempe sure is game; and sure is handling his adoring fans with the aplomb of the original rock stars, The Beatles, or Rolling Stones.
The kid has a good head on his shoulders and that's why he smiled off McIllrath's invitation to dance.
What matters now is learning what more Rempe has in his arsenal. Be aware that there's natural concern among skeptics that he still might be a flash in the pan.
Personally, I don't share that view. Call it lucky; call it what you think, but I believe that the Rangers now have a fourth-liner good enough to be a second-liner.
Of course, I'd never tell that to my favorite second-line center The Invincible Vinnie Trocheck.
He might pull a Rempe; smile at me and just skate away!