0
0
New Jersey Devils Defenceman Condemns New York Rangers Rookie’s Ejection
New Jersey Devils defenceman Kurtis MacDermid expressed his disapproval of Matt Rempe, a rookie player for the New York Rangers, following his ejection from a recent game. Rempe was penalized for elbowing Jonas Siegenthaler during the second period of the Rangers’ 3-1 victory. The elbow to Siegenthaler’s head resulted in the Devils’ player being slow to recover and unable to continue playing.
MacDermid, who also received a 10-minute misconduct, attempted to engage in a physical altercation with Rempe but was restrained by officials. As Rempe left the ice, he taunted MacDermid by waving at him. Addressing the incident, MacDermid stated to reporters, “There’s a right way to go about things and a wrong way. I kind of lost a lot of respect for him tonight.” He added, “He’s a young kid in this league, he has a lot to learn still. You don’t do things like that in your first year in the league, especially. Like I said, I lost quite a bit of respect for him tonight.”
Previous Tensions and Response
The animosity between the two teams had already escalated from their prior encounter on February 22 when Rempe delivered a head hit to Devils forward Nate Bastian. Despite receiving a match penalty, Rempe was not suspended for the offense. Although MacDermid was not part of the Devils at the time, having recently been acquired via trade, he was aware of the incident. MacDermid confronted Rempe, expecting a certain level of accountability following such an action.
Despite acknowledging the officials’ role in maintaining order by preventing physical confrontations, MacDermid expressed his desire to have had the opportunity to address Rempe directly to impart a lesson.
Travis Green and Jesper Bratt on the Incident
Devils interim head coach Travis Green weighed in on Rempe’s hit, suggesting that there may have been intent to cause harm. He described the play as “predatorial” and highlighted its recurrence as a concern.
Leading scorer Jesper Bratt echoed Green’s sentiments, condemning the elbow to the head and emphasizing the need to avoid such dangerous plays.
Despite his limited experience in the league, Rempe has already amassed a significant penalty minutes total and engaged in several fights since his call-up from the minors.
The rivalry between the Rangers and Devils is set to continue as they face off for the final time in the regular season on April 3 in New York.
Image/Photo credit: source url
