The main event between the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets featured the NHL's Heavyweight Champion Bout between The Champ, Matt Rempe of the Rangers, The Kid From Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mathieu Olivier.
Sugar is granulated, and so were the New York Rangers last night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, a 4-2 romp by the lowly Blue Jackets.
That was the preliminary bit of business that ended the Blueshirt's most admirable winning streak at ten.
The main event featured the NHL's Heavyweight Champion Bout between The Champ, Matt Rempe of the Rangers, The Kid From Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mathieu Olivier.
"On our first shift," Olivier explained, "Matt asked me if I wanted to 'go.' I already knew that he was doing a job and getting noticed. That takes guts."
It took guts for Rempe to stay on his feet.
Olivier landed 13 punches to Rempe's head or face and finished the mash party with an uppercut and three straight rights, at which point Manhattan Matt did a physical imitation of The Titanic. (Except the Titanic didn't need a concussion check.)
When the four-fisted slugfest was over, it was something of a kayo -- more like a TKO -- of the large Ranger. When Rempe left the ice he was looking like he simultaneously stepped on a land mine and ate a grenade. But to his utmost credit, the ex-Champ returned to action.
"Matt came back and contributed," added coach Peter Laviolette.
Credit to Rempe, he not only returned but got an assist on Adam Edstrom's second period goal that tied the game at 2-2. (That's a not-too-bad two points in five NHL games for Matt.)
That was as close as a seemingly indifferent visiting team could get. The Blue Jackets got two more red lights behind Jonathan Quick, who looked a bit rusty but otherwise played well.
The usual Rangers "Dependables" -- apart from The Breadman, who got his 33rd Bialy of the season in the first period -- AWOL or just plain "Eh!" Otherwise, Lavvy's best line was the Edstrom-Rempe-Goodrow unit. They worked their little and big tooshies off.
Let's face it, after ten straight wins, the Visitors could be excused if they waltzed into Ohio thinking that two points would be served on a silver platter by Old Pal John Davidson's sextet.
Or that a Rempe fight would ignite the Rangers. But it boomeranged on the Blueshirts. Elvis Merzlikins out-goaled Quick while Jacob Trouba (minus-3) played more like a sightseeing guide for Ohio's capital than the New Yorkers add-another-win-to-the-streak captain.
But by Wednesday night, when the team collide again at The Garden, these recent skirmishes all will be semi-ancient history.
Don't kid yourself, with echoes of a Bob Probert-Tie Domi classic recalled by longtime Rangers fans, a Rempe-Olivier rematch would seem to be in order. Right now it will be up to a Rempe invitation; Olivier already proved his two-fisted point.
Based on the bout at Nationwide, it will be up to Rempe if he wants to "go" against the new NHL heavyweight champion. The Maven lists Rempe as at least a 5-1 underdog.
Hey, this is almost as gripping as Friday night fights at The Old Garden.
Ah, but what remains to be seen is whether a rematch really takes place!