New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was ejected from Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils for an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Nathan Bastian.
Early in the first period, Rempe delivered a hard hit to Bastian – who had his head down – along the boards.
Referees Francois St. Laurent and Michael Markovic called a match penalty on the ice, which they confirmed via video review.
Illegal checks to the head fall under Rule 48:
A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted.
In determining whether contact with an opponent’s head was avoidable, the circumstances of the hit including the following shall be considered:
(i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not “picked” as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
(ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.
(iii) Whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.
While the officials consider the listed criteria, those do not individually eliminate a penalty.
Bastian’s head was clearly down, as noted under section ii above. The catch is that he didn’t materially change his position prior to the hit. Rempe had plenty of time to adjust. If he wants to deliver a hit on this play, he needs to drive through the player’s core. Instead, he delivers a hit where the head is the main point of contact, on a hit where such contact is avoidable.
“[Rempe’s] just a big man. Everything is down. There’s nothing that’s up,” said Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette. “Never lifted his arm. I’m glad [Bastian] came back and played and was not hurt from that. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it’s just tough.
“He was full steam ahead and kept everything down, tried to go through the body and I’m sure he hit everything. It’s a tough call.”
It’s a match penalty for sure, but based on the circumstances, we expect it will fall short of supplemental discipline. Player Safety will undoubtedly be reviewing the play.
Update: Rempe is not expected to face supplemental discipline for the hit.
The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-1. Referees for the game were Francois St. Laurent (#8) and Michael Markovic (#31), with linesmen Ryan Jackson (#84) and David Brisebois (#96).
