Rangers rookie Matt Rempe found himself in another brutal fight on Sunday night as he took a beating from Mathieu Olivier.
In the first period of Sunday night’s game between New York and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 6-foot-2 giant was left in a heap after a brief but fierce brawl.
He had a six-inch lead over Olivier, but Rempe was on the end of several haymakers before being wrestled onto the ice – much to the delight of the Columbus crowd.
It means the 21-year-old has now been involved in a conflict in three of his first five appearances in the NHL.
Rempe dropped the gloves during his first shift in his debut last week.
Rangers rookie Matt Rempe found himself in another brutal battle on Sunday night
Against the Blue Jackets, the 6-foot-2 giant took a beating from Mathieu Olivier
The 21-year-old has now been embroiled in scraps in three of his first five NHL appearances
Rempe is escorted to the penalty area on Sunday evening with blood from his nose
This fight came just 24 hours after Rempe and scrappy Flyers veteran Nicolas Deslauriers traded blows in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
Things actually started between the two during pre-match warm-ups, when they both looked at each other.
“He asked me during warm-ups,” Rempe said. “He’s a real tough customer and said, ‘Let’s go.’ It was a great fight. We were throwing bombs. It got the juices flowing and it was surreal.”
A day later, the Calgary native was accosted again during warm-ups and once again his mettle was tested on the ice.
On Saturday evening, the rookie was involved in another brutal fight against Nicolas Deslauriers
Rempe (in white) is seen with some damage to his face during the brawl with Deslauriers
This time, Rempe was left bloodied and beaten up after Olivier landed a series of heavy punches to the rookie’s face and head.
Rempe was eventually wrestled onto the ice, prompting the officials to intervene and lift him back to his feet.
The Blue Jackets won 4-2 in Columbus, breaking the New York franchise record of 10 games.
It’s been quite a week for Rempe, who battled Islander tough guy Matt Martin on his first shift in his NHL debut in a Stadium Series game.
He was also ejected on Thursday for a hit to the head of New Jersey’s Nathan Bastian in New York’s 5-1 win over the Devils.