Watch: Rangers' Matt Rempe continues to become cult hero with first playoff goal
The New York Rangers had the NHL's best record during the regular season and boasted a lineup full of stars. Forward Artemi Panarin is an MVP candidate. Defenseman Adam Fox is one of the best in the league at his position. Igor Shesterkin is at worst a top-two goalie. They also have a recent No. 1 overall pick in Alexis Lafreniere who had a breakout year.
An argument can be made that none of those players are the current fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.
That honor likely belongs to rookie fourth-line forward Matt Rempe who has become something of a cult hero on Broadway due to his massive size, thunderous hits and willingness to fight all of the NHL's heavyweights.
He added to his list of fan-favorite plays on Sunday afternoon by scoring the Rangers' first goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series against the Washington Capitals.
Rempe only played in 17 games during the regular season, but his name was consistently chanted throughout Madison Square Garden as fans demanded to see him on the ice.
His actual on-ice value is definitely up for some debate because he takes a ton of penalties and oftentimes plays along the line between physical and dirty.
Rempe has already been suspended one time and probably had at least one or two more hits that could have resulted in supplemental discipline. But he does play a strong defensive game and brings a nearly unmatched level of energy. There are a lot of pros and cons there. On this play, you saw him offering the good side of his game.
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