The first time Kurtis MacDermid was asked about Matt Rempe, he didn't have very kind words to say about the young, hulking New York Rangers forward trying to carve his path into the National Hockey League. However, the veteran New Jersey Devils heavyweight may have had a change of heart after the two faced off during the most recent game between the two combatants teams, where they dropped the mitts during a line brawl moments into the Rangers-Devils game.
The incident that resulted in one hundred fifty-six minutes of penalties five minutes into the game apparently occurred due to some unfinished business from the last game, which was carried over. But as many players who have paid there dues do, MacDermid appeared to praise Rempe. Have a look:
As much as the words from MacDermid feel like an endorsement of how he feels like Rempe has carried himself through his young career, it also feels sort of like a passing of the torch, akin to when in the movie Goon Ross Rhea and Doug Glatt face off for the final time and Glatt gets the better of the aging enforcer who had bettered him previously.
This rivalry between MacDermid and Rempe, if you can call it that, may last a long time or most likely will wither out; however, as a fan, it has been fun to be along for the ride. Hopefully Rempe continues to learn and grow from the experiences he has had and that it helps mold him into the next great heavyweight, which by all accounts has unfortunately nearly become extinct.
