Hockey fans are piling on Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers after a boneheaded decision to put a poorly-timed hit on Jake Neighbours of the St. Louis Blues

NHL coaches love players who play with intensity. Not when they do dumb things like this, though.

Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers is getting a ton of backlash online for what can only be described as very poor decision making on his part.

With his team down by one goal early in the third period against the St. Louis Blues, Matt Rempe clobbered Jake Neighbours with a hit that had no business being made. Neighbours was nowhere near the puck.

While St. Louis failed to score on the ensuing powerplay, the Blues did win the game 5-2. Many are questioning what Matt Rempe was thinking in this situation. Even fans of the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers find themselves in a bit of a mess close to two months into the 2024-25 regular season. There are rumours that a former 50-goal scorer has been placed on the trade block, while the team is once again trying to move defenseman Jacob Trouba after a recent deal fell through.

The last thing the team needs right now is players making boneheaded plays at crucial times in games. Matt Rempe will be lucky if he doesn’t find himself headed back to the AHL.

Rempe really needs to learn some self-control to balance out the intensity and muscle he bring to the New York Rangers. Otherwise, he just might find himself in the AHL permanently.