6 Foot 8 Inch Rookie Drops the Gloves with Matt Martin On First NHL Shift

That is certainly one way to celebrate your first time on the ice in an NHL game. Six-foot-eight, 240 lbs Matthew Rempe of the New York Rangers played in his very first NHL game today against the New York Islanders. Rempe made his big presence known immediately.

After an early goal by the Rangers, the two teams lined up at centre ice for the faceoff. As soon as the referee dropped the puck, Rempe dropped his gloves with 900+ NHL game veteran Matt Martin of the Islanders. The two exchanged some pretty good punches before they separated. Rempe hit Martin in the head with a right hand around 18 seconds into the video, and you could tell it hurt.

Matt Rempe NHL debut dropping the glovesnot a big deeeal 🥊pic.twitter.com/CzCkE8Zjtm— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 18, 2024

Rempe, 21, was drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round (165th overall) in 2020. He's spent the past two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.