Never before have the Rangers unexpectedly acquired a gem of a headliner – and in less than a year – turned him into garbage.
Which is the unfortunate saga of Matt Rempe who has spiraled from the most popular Blueshirt to a tossed away body in Hartford.
The general staff alibi is that Adam Edström and Jonny Brodzinski have proven more valuable to the Blueshirts as they most certainly have not; not even as the Thursday night loss to Florida amply demonstrated.
Of course the high command Alibi Ikes will tell you that Rempe contributed little during his whirlwind stint as a Ranger.
But as the late, great former Blueshirt Bronco Horvath told his irascible coach Phil Watson, "You can't score goals sitting on the bench."
What did Peter Laviolette expect Rempe to do with a five-minute shift – win the Rocket Richard Trophy? Gimme a break!
Had genius Laviolette properly employed Rempe against the Panthers, Matt could have effectively forechecked the Champs into submission. My buddy, Sean McCaffrey's Blue Collar Blueshirt delves deeply into the Rempe rejection; all accurate.
"Rempe is not a goon as portrayed," writes McCaffrey, "but it's obvious that the coach doesn't like him" (That could be the understatement of the half-century.)
Nor should it be overlooked that Matt busted his chops over the summer working on assorted facets of his game for the pure and simple reason that he expected to regain a regular role on the fourth line.
"With Jimmy Vesey coming back," says The Old Scout, "management had to drop somebody. Sending Rempe to Hartford may not be a popular move, but he still could return later in the season and turn out to be an asset."
Fine, but tell that to all the fans who roared with delight every time Matt Rempe skated on to the Garden ice!
We're talking about "now," not later in the season. Right now, Rempe belongs in New York and not Connecticut. Period.
End of story and end of the Rempe Era; as much fun as it was!
