Matt Rempe training with Georges Laraque is seen as a mistake in New York

In the last few days, Matt Rempe has been attracting a lot of attention in the hockey world. The Rangers’ giant-sized forward, who made a name for himself last year with his numerous fights, recently took lessons with Georges Laraque to improve his fighting technique.

The former NHL tough guy told the Stanley25 podcast that he mentored Rempe from a distance last year… but this time, it was on the ice.

Considering that he fights so often, seeing him fine-tune his technique to try and reduce the risks makes sense. After all, last year, he was seriously banged up at times.

That said, in New York, it’s not necessarily a unanimous decision. In a piece for The Hockey News, journalist Stan Fischler bluntly calls the whole thing a “mistake”.

Matt Rempe starts his summer on the wrong foot, or should I say the wrong fist? – Stan Fischler

So, @StanFischler is not a fan of #NYR Matt Rempe taking fighting lessons from Georges Laraque.

Here’s whyhttps://t.co/Oiy92N61n3

– Forever Blueshirts (@4EverBlueshirts) July 12, 2024

Basically, Fischler (who’s been in the business for decades) says that if Rempe wants to become a regular NHL forward, he won’t improve his chances by following Laraque’s lessons. In fact, the journalist says he’d be better off working on his skating stroke.

He gives him the nicknames “Skating Giraffe” and “Gargantua”.

According to Fischler, the forward’s poor skating stroke meant that Peter Laviolette couldn’t trust him in the playoffs… and anyway, he’s convinced that Rempe already has the range and weight to have the edge over anyone in the NHL.

That said, he overlooks the fact that while size is one part of the equation, technique is another. Guys like Mathieu Olivier and Nicolas Deslauriers, for example, aren’t the tallest guys at 6’1″… but they’ve got the technique that makes them real badasses.

Obviously, Rempe will have to work on other aspects of his game if he wants to be a consistent player, and his skating stroke is undoubtedly one of them. That said, taking a little time with a strong man as respected as Laraque to fine-tune his technique and limit the risks to his health seems like a good investment.

He could skate like the wind, but it wouldn’t do him much good if he got knocked out for good in a fight, would it?

Overtime

– Impressive.

Highest playoff points % in NHL history:

.600 – Vegas Golden Knights
.582 – Edmonton Oilers
.577 – Montreal Canadiens
.566 – Tampa Bay Lightning

Vegas might have one of the best winning cultures in sports right now. pic.twitter.com/LPpO4gqu0Y

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 12, 2024

– The two who left are now in Nashville.

Every team who’s franchise points leader currently plays for them:

– Florida Panthers (Barkov)
– Nashville Predators (Josi)
– Seattle Kraken (McCann)
– Washington Capitals (Ovechkin)

Two weeks ago, there were two more names on this list. pic.twitter.com/qF2VsrUwjn

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 12, 2024