Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Rempe has been sent down to the minors. And Montreal’s Nick Suzuki is just one of several NHL players who is probably not happy to see the New York Rangers enforcer out of the league as fighting decreases.
“There’s a certain side of fans that like that entertainment,” Suzuki said of Rempe in an interview with The Hockey News before the season. “Playing in New York, every time Rempe was on the ice, there was just like a huge cheer. So it brings something different to the game. I think anything that brings fans to come in and watch, I think that’s good for the league. It’s an entertaining part of the game. I wouldn’t really like to change that part.”
Suzuki might not want to take fighting out of the game. But whether he likes it or not, the game appears to be moving away from stacking a roster with enforcers who bring more value with their fists than their sticks.
There were 311 fights in the NHL last season, according to hockeyfights.com. That’s down from the 334 fights in 2022-23 and the 331 fights in 2021-22.
It’s early, but with 26 fights in the first three weeks of the season, the projected number of fights is expected to drop to around 230. According to hockeyfights.com, it would be the lowest number in an 82-game season since 2018-19, when there were 226 fights.
Rempe made headlines last season when he fought New York Islanders’ Matt Martin in his NHL debut and then spent the following games challenging the toughest players to a fight in the following games. The 22-year-old, who is 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds, spent part of the summer working on his boxing skills with former enforcer Georges Laraque. But this season, he has yet to drop the gloves. His last fight was back on Feb. 24.
After being a healthy scratch for five of the Rangers’ seven games, he was assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate.
When asked why Rempe wasn’t playing much so far this year, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said he preferred the speed, pace and versatility of Jonny Brodzinski, “who’s had high-end production before he got to the NHL, plays multiple positions, can jump in and take a faceoff.”
It’s not just Rempe who has seen his role diminish this year.
Toronto’s Ryan Reaves, who is the NHL’s unofficial heavyweight champion, has yet to fight and has been a healthy scratch twice since Craig Berube stepped behind the Maple Leafs’ bench. Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj has also been a healthy scratch for the past two games, which led to speculation from Laraque about whether the Canadiens will trade him.
Related: Will The Toronto Maple Leafs Eventually Move Ryan Reaves And David Kampf?
If so, you can count Suzuki on not being happy.
“I think having Arber on the team definitely gives us something that other teams don’t,” said Suzuki in September. “It’s when you’re playing against guys on other teams that have that reputation, your mindset is definitely a little different when they’re on the ice. Guys know how to protect themselves, and if guys are running around, Arber is always going to be there for us. So it’s definitely a nice piece for us to have.”
Radko Gudas, who fought four times last season, agrees that the NHL is a better — and safer — league when there are players holding other accountable for their actions.
“I think fighting in our game is important,” Gudas said during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour last month. “We are still moving around on the ice at very high speeds with a weapon in your hands that you can pretty much do anything. If there is not a player that will come and make you pay for something you did on the ice, I think you kind of lose the sense of code between the players and those guys that are there to do the fighting be the enforcers. They understand the code, and if something’s happening during a game like that, those are the guys that calm things down, and they make these things disappear.”
As for Rempe, his demotion could have a trickle-down effect on the other teams in the Metropolitan Division, many of which had stocked up with munitions in an attempt to try and keep up with the arms race.
“We obviously picked up some tough guys along the way,” said New Jersey’s Jack Hughes. “It definitely is more of a team toughness, team bonding, sticking up for one another. I can’t say that’s a category I’m going to be like leading the charge in, but it’s definitely something you want in your group. It brings the team closer, for sure.”
Related: Remember When NHL Players Could Take A Hit Without Fighting?
