Matt Rempe hears all the outside noise calling for him to play and he is eager to make an impact for the Rangers on the ice.
New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe is ready for action if he is called upon.
Rempe served as a healthy scratch for the Rangers’ 3-0 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
However, fans and media pundits have been pleading for coach Peter Laviolette to throw in the enforcer in Game 2.
The 21-year-old rookie seems to be flattered by all of the outside support and is eager to get back on the ice and wreak some havoc.
"If that happens, I want to be buzzing. Anytime you get an opportunity, you want to make the most of it," Rempe said. "This is awesome. Eastern Conference final. Come on. It's the best."
Rempe is a player that provides a spark that really no other player does. He is not afraid to fight anybody on the ice.
He electrifies the crowd through his hard-hitting punches and bone-crushing hits. It’s easy to fall in love with the guy and Ranger fans have certainly done just that.
New York got dominated physically by the Florida Panthers in Game 1, so Rempe may be exactly what the Rangers need to wake up and compete with the Big Bad Panthers on the physical end.
Despite all the Rempe chatter, Laviolette said that will not play a factor in his lineup upcoming decisions.
"Any decision that I make is based on the conversations that we have as a group internally here," Laviolette said. "I can't really make my decisions based on that. The players that we do put in the lineup, we're hoping that they have a positive impact inside the game."
Rempe has been in and out of the lineup through the playoffs while averaging very limited minutes when actually playing.
Laviolette did not say if he will insert Rempe into the lineup for Game 2, so we'll just have to wait and see.