Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers has only played 10 games in the NHL so far in his career, but he's found himself the centre of many hockey-related discussion in his short time. The latest issue is his four game suspension for what was a brutal, and seemingly intentional elbow on Jonas Siegenthaler of the New Jersey Devils. However, it appears his head coach doesn't see it that way at all.
Asked about the suspension today, Peter Laviolette claimed Rempe was simply trying to brace himself before crashing into the boards. Apparently, Siegenthaler was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It's somewhat understandable that a head coach would want to defend his player, but the video replay sure looks like Rempe realized he was going to miss Siegenthaler with the hit, and extended his elbow to make sure he made contact.
Whether you agree with Laviolette or not likely has a lot to do with whether you're a Rangers and/or Rempe fan. To his credit, the 21-year-old has certainly made an impact in his first 10 games, and has likely earned himself a spot in the NYR lineup as long as he can keep himself from getting suspended.
