by David Kirouac-Imagn Images
New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens enforcers Matt Rempe and Arber
It was early in the second period when the two fighters decided to drop their gloves. Rempe met Xhekaj in the corner and pushed him on a forecheck. They both went to the top of the net and began hitting shots shortly after, despite minimal contact.
After Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes froze the puck, Xhekaj pushed Rempe away from the net. Suddenly, the Rangers right winger threw his gloves to the ice and grabbed the Habs defenseman.
Xhekaj received three punches from Rempe before delivering a few of his own. They both licked each other and got a lot of spanking that they were able to connect. The Montreal D-man struck with a few lefts, but the New York enforcer responded with a few rights of his own. It all ended when Xhekaj took Rempe in his arms and brought him onto the ice.
Rempe received two additional minutes in the penalty area for brawling and both received five minutes major for fighting.
It was a heated battle between the Blueshirts and the Habs. In the first period, four players were sent to the box for roughing due to a massive crowd near the bench.
Between Rempe and Xhekaj they have a combined total of 344 penalty minutes, despite only playing in 164 games in their careers.
Xhekaj almost got involved in another fight against Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves on Saturday. The Maple Leafs right winger challenged the 23-year-old to a fight as Montreal held a 3-0 lead in the first period.
However, Xhekaj waved Reaves off and pointed at the scoreboard, suggesting it wouldn’t be wise for him to give in to a tilt that could give the Maple Leafs some energy. The shot backfired slightly, however, as the Leafs conceded seven unanswered goals in Toronto’s 7-3 win.
According to HockeyFights, the Habs blueliner has appeared in three fights this season, and the move against Rempe was his fourth of the season. His last fight was on January 3 against Patrick Maroon of the Chicago Blackhawks.
For Rempe, this is his first NHL fight of 2025 and fourth of the season. His first was a dance with Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath. The 22-year-old also took part in two bouts in the minors with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL
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