Matt Rempe has been suspended eight games for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Friday night. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced their ruling Sunday afternoon.
Rempe was offered an in-person hearing so he was eligible to be suspended more than five games.
NY Rangers’ Matt Rempe has been suspended for eight games for boarding/elbowing Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen. https://t.co/vzQPkU3JOg
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 22, 2024
In a video explainer, Player Safety says:
Rempe explodes upwards into a hard check to the back of a defenseless Heiskanen while at the same time extending his elbow and forearm up and into the back of Heiskanen’s neck, driving Heiskanen dangerously into the boards and glass. This hit is a violation of both the boarding and the elbowing rules. It is important to note that for an extended period of time and during the entire lead-up to this hit, Rempe sees nothing but Heiskanen’s back. Rempe is in complete control of how this play develops and it is Rempe’s responsibility in this situation to avoid the contact, change the angle such that he does not hit a defenseless player directly from behind or at very least to minimize the force of an imminent collision.
Instead, Rempe chooses to not only finish this check into the back of his opponent but also to raise his elbow and forearm recklessly. The result of Rempe’s choices is a hard, dangerous check directly to Heiskanen’s back that drives him violently into the boards.
The narrator also notes that Rempe’s previous suspension for elbowing Jonas Siegenthaler last March happening just 23 combined regular season and playoff NHL games from this hit, contributed to the length of his suspension. The 22-year-old forward has also already been ejected four times during his short career.
Rempe’s suspension is the longest of the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season, surpassing Ryan Reaves’s five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Darnell Nurse.
Here’s the press release from the NHL:
Rempe of Rangers suspended 8 games for boarding, elbowing
Forward received major penalty, misconduct for play against Stars defenseman Heiskanen on Friday
NEW YORK — New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe has been suspended for eight games, without pay, for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during NHL Game No. 525 in Dallas on Friday, Dec. 20, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 7:09 the third period. Rempe was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing.
Rempe is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $80,000.00. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
