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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Karl Rasmussen

NHL Rookie Got Into Fight Seconds Into His First Game, and Fans Loved It

Matt Rempe NHL Matt Martin Rangers

The New York Islanders hosted the New York Rangers during the 2024 NHL Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series on Sunday afternoon, and despite playing outdoors at MetLife Stadium, it didn’t take long for the bad blood between the rival teams to leave its mark on the game.

Rangers rookie Matt Rempe made his NHL debut in the game, and he wound up getting into a skirmish before the puck even dropped during his first shift of the game.

The puck was set to drop after an early goal from Rangers’ Erik Gustafsson just under 90 seconds into the first period. Players lined up for the face-off, but before play could resume, Rempe and veteran Islanders winger Matt Martin got tangled up and began exchanging punches.

Rempe, who is 21 years old and stands in at a towering 6’7” and 241 pounds, wasted no time unleashing a barrage of haymakers in the direction of the 34-year-old Martin, renowned as one of hockey’s toughest enforcers. The two skaters battled for around 35 seconds before referees separated them, and the crowd at MetLife was absolutely loving the early melee.

Rempe spent five minutes in the penalty box–more time than he’d logged on the ice that far into his career–as a result of the scrap with Martin, who was also sent off for five minutes.

Hockey fans both at the stadium and on social media were fired up by the brawl, and they applauded the rookie for making a statement during his first time on the ice in a Rangers uniform.

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