

If you thought the emergence of New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was significant this past season, just wait until you see him next year.
On Monday, long-time enforcer and NHL heavyweight Georges Laraque shared a photo online to his Twitter account depicting himself on-ice with the 6-foot-7 Rempe and Manitoba Moose defenceman Tyrel Bauer.
"I'm training Matt Rempe and Tyrel Bauer for hockey fighting, this week in Edmonton, at the Silent Ice arena," Laraque wrote in the tweet. "If you thought Rempe was a problem this year in the NHL, wait till you see him this coming season."
"He will be the NHL Heavyweight Champ, no doubt," Laraque added of Rempe.
Rempe and Bauer were teammates for three seasons with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, to which Bauer served as captain, and Rempe was one of his alternates.
Rempe, who flew onto the scene this past season on Broadway, threw down five times in 17 games, on top of seven more tilts in the AHL.
Bauer, who is no pushover himself, dropped the mitts eight times last season with the Moose, after throwing down nine times the year prior - his first as a pro.
He also had one memorable fight for the Jets last preseason.
The Jets' sixth round pick in 2020 has 186 penalty minutes over the past two seasons of AHL play with Manitoba. He also has four goals and 14 points in those 103 contests. Bauer is on the books for one more season at an $80K AHL pay-day.
With big seasons ahead of both players, assistance and training from one of the NHL's all-time greatest fighters should do nothing but help both of their cases for 2024-25.