With all of the attention comes some pressure for Matt Rempe.
Don't kid yourself, there is such a thing as JEALOUSY in hockey.
Yeah, it could even afflict the Rangers. (Mind you, I said could -- not will.) And I'll tell you how.
Let's say you're a grunt like Will Cuylle or Jonny Brodzinski. Or even a respected vet such as Jimmy Vesey.
You knock yourself out, manage to get enough points to stay in The Show but nine-tenths of the time you're a forgotten Ranger.
On the other hand, you see a character such as Matt Rempe burst on to the scene, producing peanuts but wins a few fights – loses also – and all of a sudden this former Nobody's Sweetheart becomes The Prince Charming of the Rangers.
And all he's got to show for it is one goal and one assist in 17 – SEVENTEEN – games. I know a few Joe Schlumps who could do that.
If you were Cuylle (21 points in 81 games) or Brodzinski (19 points in 57 games) you just might be thinking, "Hey, what's going on here? What's with this bozo?"
Or, perhaps, "Why is the media adoring him? Could it be just because he's taller than we are?"
No Ranger would dare come out and say, "Yeah, I am jealous. I've produced and he's done what? The Square Root of Chai Salami."
Frankly, if The Maven had a choice between Rempe and Cuylle, I'd take Willy in a Seventh Avenue second.
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And the reason is obvious, Cuylle can play hockey. Rempe? We're not 100 percent sure – yet. Brodzinski vs. Rempe? Right now it's a draw. The decision will be made at training camp.
If I'm Peter Laviolette, I'm tickled pink. The Skating Giraffe will produce good competition for the other grunts.
Also, it will motivate Man Mountain Matt to outplay the competition whether they are jealous of the Imitation Rock Star or not.
One thing you have to say for The Remper, he creates stories by doing nothing.
It's like "Call me a cab!" "Poof; You're a cab." Or, "Get me a story. Poof! Rempe's another story!"
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