Matt Rempe is ready to do anything he can to help the Rangers to defeat the Washington Capitals.
Matt Rempe is ready to do anything he can to help the Rangers to defeat the Washington Capitals.
If you can believe it, Matt Rempe once idolized Tom Wilson.
But that was long ago when Rempe was an aspiring big-leaguer and Wilson -- among other things -- was a New York Rangers tormentor.
Now the former idolizer and idol will meet and, who knows, we may see the hockey fight of the century or another of those dopey -- grab the jersey -- wrestling matches that pass for one arm "fights" these days.
Not surprisingly fans of their beloved Blueshirts would like nothing better than Rempe making like Muhammed Ali in his prime, turning a revenge fight, and Wilson into something like the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz."
Take it from The Maven, winning a one-sided fight -- strategically started -- could have a positive psychological effect on one side and deflate the other.
But there's a significant hitch to this when it comes to Roarin' Rempe. We're talking playoffs, Mauler Matt, the postseason -- where each game has twice the value of a regular season affair.
It's no coincidence that fighting meaningfully diminishes during the playoffs because coaches have this funny notion that they'd prefer their team winning a game -- maybe even a series -- more than a fight.
No dummy, he, and that's why -- despite the futuristic fight furor -- Rempe may just decide to curb his conflicted enthusiasm and stick to being a no-stupid-penalty effective fourth line winger.
And, as promised, The Maven has lugged out his expensive Thought Recording Machine (TRM) to climb into Rempe's high head. Here's what I gleaned:
"I'm no dummy; I know what the fans want, me to score a one-punch knockout. But how can I do that to Tom Wilson who was my hero? But if I play my wing; hit legally -- which I've been doing -- and get their screened goalie crazy with my big body, that will keep me in the lineup. I'm no dummy; it's either me or Jonny Brodzinski."
Hey, Ranger fans, if you only had one choice, what would you rather have a Blueshirt win; or a Rempe KO over Wilson but a lost game?
You're too smart; you'd take the former and hope the latter happens in Game Four of the Rangers sweep!