Rangers' Rempe suspended eight games for hit on Heiskanen
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New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was suspended eight games for his hit on Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen, NHL Player Safety announced on Sunday.
Rempe, 22, was already ineligible to play during Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes and he will not be available for seven more games.
The 6-foot-9 centre was considered a repeat offender and will forfeit $80,000 in salary for the suspension according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.
Rempe was ejected after drilling Heiskanen face-first into the boards from behind in the third period of the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Stars on Friday. Rempe was served a five-minute major and a game misconduct of the hit.
Heiskanen was able to get up under his own power and remained in the game.
It was the fourth time in 22 career NHL games that Rempe had been tossed. He was previously suspended four games in March after elbowing New Jersey Devils defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head. This is the longest on-ice suspension since Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was suspended 20 games for an illegal check to the head in October of 2018.
Friday was Rempe's first NHL action in nearly a month. He played 12 shifts and logged 5:32 of ice time before his ejection. He has one goal and one assist in 22 career NHL games and also has three goals and five points in 18 AHL games this year.
The Rangers entered Sunday’s action in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 16-15-1 record and are five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
New York takes on the New Jersey Devils on Monday afternoon and then are off until Saturday where they battle the Tampa Bay Lightning.