NEW YORK — The New Jersey Devils gave Lempe a major penalty and game misconduct on Monday night for New York Rangers rookie Matt for elbowing defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.・We believe that further disciplinary action should be taken against Rempe.
“I think there’s some kind of intent to get the players hurt,” Devils interim coach Travis Green said after the 3-1 loss to the Rangers.
Rempe was ejected with 30 seconds left in the second period.
Siegenthaler shot the puck into the attacking zone and then held on near the red line. Lempe skated towards Siegenthaler, extended his left arm and connected with Siegenthaler’s head. On-ice officials conferred, reviewed the play and confirmed that Lempe received a five-minute major for elbowing and game misconduct.
Siegenthaler did not return for the third period, and Green, when asked about his condition, said, “I’m not feeling well.”
The NHL Player Safety Department will review all major penalties for potential additional discipline.
“Anyone who knows anything about the game knows that [Siegenthaler] It’s in a vulnerable place. Call it predatory or whatever you want to call it.It’s certainly not the first time it’s happened [for Rempe]And this is the second time they’ve played us,” Green said.
This is Lempe’s second foul play in his 10 NHL career games against the Devils. On February 22, Lempe was given a game penalty for an illegal check to the head of Devils forward Nathan Bastian just 2:22 into the first period. Since that game, the Devils acquired enforcer Curtis McDiarmid in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche on March 1st.
McDiarmid attempted to challenge Rempe to a fight several times during Monday’s contest, but Rempe refused. After hitting Siegenthaler, McDiarmid dropped the gloves to fight Rempe, but was reprimanded again and on-ice officials also intervened.
“I asked him, there’s a little code, and I thought he would answer it. I don’t know what he was told, but he said no,” McDiarmid said of Rempe. Ta. “And after a hit like that, [on Bastian], it goes without saying that you should answer the bell in some way and be manly about it. He then takes another hit and is ejected, potentially facing a suspension. In other words, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. ”
McDiarmid was given a 10-minute misdemeanor for attempting to fight Rempe after being attacked by Siegenthaler.
As Lempe was led off the ice by a lineman, he waved goodbye to McDiarmid and taunted him.
“He’s still a young kid, he still has a lot to learn,” McDiarmid said of Rempe. “You don’t do that in your first year in the league. I lost a lot of respect for him tonight.”
Rangers manager Peter Laviolette had noted that Lempe (4 minutes, 48 seconds of total ice time) had played a strong game up to that point, including setting up a screen in front of Devils goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen that led to New York’s second goal. I felt that I was.
“He was just chasing hits,” Laviolette said of Lempe. “I don’t really want to comment until I see the hit song again. I only saw it live once.
“But I hope Siegenthaler is okay.”
Lempe quickly became one of the NHL’s most polarizing players during his short career in the league. He’s 6-foot-7 and has a physical game. Even though Lempe didn’t see much ice, he became such a cult hero that Rangers fans shouted his name at Madison Square Garden.
With Monday’s win over the Devils, Lempe earned almost as much penalty time (54) as playing time (56:28) in his NHL career. He made his debut in the Rangers Stadium Series against the New York Islanders on February 18 at MetLife Stadium, making his first NHL shift.
He has been hot in three other games, reigniting a league-wide debate about the place of martial arts in the NHL. Lempe was ejected from two games for a foul hit against the Devils, but received no additional disciplinary action for the hit on Bastian.
McDiarmid said Rempe should be disciplined by the league for the hit on Siegenthaler.
“Oh, absolutely. He’s a huge guy and swings his elbows around like that,” McDiarmid said. “You have to learn how to hit the players properly without hurting them.”
