It's tough being Matt Rempe because he's too (6-8) tall and too heavy (240 pounds.)
Even when the Rangers' still popular fourth-liner doesn't mean to hurt a foe – he still does because he's a genuine, certified "bullvon," too tall and too heavy for the average NHLer to absorb in a collision.
Mind you, he does try to hurt the enemy – mostly in a fight – but it no longer is good for him because another 20-game suspension could result in a better opportunity to visit museums in Hartford.
If you want to know how tough it is being The Skating Giraffe, check the most recent Jets-Rangers video.
The Remper has sort of perfected the art of goalie screening. Trouble is that even when he does it right; he's wrong.
Skating against Winnipeg, Matt The Menace legally planted himself just outside Connor Hellybuyck's crease.
BAM! Next thing he knew, Rempe was in Helly's lap and, worse yet, he heard a whistle, looked up and learned he was given two minutes for "goalie interference."
Superficially, it was a good call because Canny Connor was knocked on his "tuchuss." But, Rempe had a beef because he was cross-checked into the Jets goalie.
Or, as coach Peter Laviolette later observed, "I disagreed with the call."
Disagree or not, the issue here is that Rempe's size is as much a debit as it is a plus, Matt's suspension gave him a negative rep and there's no way that it's going away.
"He's got to live with it, just like he had to live with that goalie call in Winnipeg," says The Old Scout. "What hurts – in a way – is that Rempe has become a good fourth liner."
In fact, the Blueshirts fourth-line has been its best unit lately. For Rempe's – and the Rangers' – sake, it would be a neat story if he grew into a full-time regular.
It could happen if only his boxcar physique would only cooperate.