Rangers rookie makes NHL outdoor game history
No player in NHL history has ever made a debut quite like the one New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe made on Sunday. His debut came in the Rangers' Stadium Series game against the New York Islanders, making him the first player to ever make his debut during one of the league's outdoor games.
Sunday's Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium -- the second of the weekend, following Saturday's Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils game -- is the 41st outdoor game in league history.
They started with the 2003 Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
Starting with the 2007-08 season the league began playing an annual outdoor game -- The Winter Classic -- on New Year's Day, and then gradually began adding more throughout each season known as the league's "Stadium Series."
As for Rempe, he wasted little time in making a name for himself in his debut as he dropped the gloves and got into a fight with the Islanders' Matt Martin on his first ever shift.
First game, first fight and first outdoor game all in the same game for Rempe. That is a debut that has never been done before. Certainly an exciting way to enter the NHL.
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