Rangers’ Matt Rempe a ‘different fighter’ after Georges Laraque fight camp
NY Post
To Georges Laraque, fighting in the NHL is a brotherhood.
So when Matt Rempe went on a bout bender during his first days in the league, putting what some believe to be a dying role in hockey in the New York City limelight, Laraque, the former longtime NHL enforcer — like everyone else — watched intently.
He saw the Rangers rookie hold his own against Islanders heavyweight Matt Martin in front of 79,690 fans at MetLife Stadium.
Then looked on as Rempe got clocked a few times by Flyers face-puncher Nicolas Deslauriers and later taken down by Blue Jackets tough guy Mathieu Olivier.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s getting hit way too much because he has no technique,’ ” Laraque recalled to The Post in a recent phone call. “And then after a few fights, his face, he had black eyes and everything. After [the] Olivier [fight], when it kind of went a bit bad, I was like, ‘OK, I have to reach out to him.’ Because he was so good for the league.”
The two exchanged a series of messages and Laraque offered up what he learned across 695 career games and 159 fights (according to hockeyfights.com) in the best way that text communication would allow.
The Jets were quiet on Day 2 of free agency after adding a new quarterback Monday.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — The baseball calendar says the Mets have about two weeks until Opening Day, but Francisco Lindor’s mind is on another timetable as these dog days of spring training pass.
The man with the best nickname on the team is one of the few Knicks who has made it this far relatively unscathed in the court of public opinion.
For a guy who seemingly is always headed out the door, Darius Slayton has a way of never leaving.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Rangers stood by their defensive structure in the immediate aftermath of their Weekend of Missed Opportunities, in which they had two chances to capture the top wild-card spot in the East and failed to do so in such disappointing fashion.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Luis Torrens helped inject life into the Mets’ season last year but now faces even larger responsibilities with the team.
The Jets are having a Fields Day.
SACRAMENTO — P.J. Tucker understands his reputation as a hard-nosed player who is willing to vocalize displeasure.
The Yankees have insurance on Gerrit Cole, which is a positive thing in a very worrisome situation.
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve, oh, the Rangers might’ve had a weekend if they had only buckled down after taking a 3-1 lead into the final 10 minutes in Ottawa on Saturday.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Dodgers’ last two steps to a championship were eliminating the New York teams last October, and it is hard to miss how much of a better February and March Los Angeles is having as well.
The Jets kicked off free agency by keeping one of their own.