Hockey players don't hit each other in the head as often as they used to. In the 1980s, '90s and 2000s, it was common for the NHL to play 700 or 800 games per season, based on tracking from the iconic game-tracking site HockeyFights.com. That number has consistently been on the decline since 2014-2015, when the site recorded 391 games. He has been below 200 points for the past few seasons, and is on track to drop to around 300 points this year. In the old days, there were fights a little more often than once every two games. Nowadays, about one in five people are involved in a conflict. Martial arts won't disappear from the sport, but it won't be as prominent as it used to be.
Stupid people will always be powerful representatives in hockey culture, so fighting will never go away from the sport and people who insist it is an important part of the culture will never go away. But they are losing the battle. Some of the League's most famous enforcers died young, and there is horrific but not surprising evidence that combat played a role. Today's players, coaches, and executives understand that concussions are a disaster. In hockey, there are always flare-ups after the whistle, and physical plays always spill over into extracurricular violence, but what about pre-planned games where two players face off and take off their gloves and helmets? I wonder? They have gone out of fashion. It's good for the safety of those playing the sport, and it's good for the reputation of hockey. When this gets really ugly, it's an unappealing look for a league that wasn't as popular as one would hope.
But here's what's interesting about hockey battles. Even if you hate the game, you should love the players. Hockey enforcers can be some of the nicest guys in the game when they're not trying to knock each other's brains out. They are almost always one of the most beloved players in the locker room and are appreciated for taking on the ritual of putting their bodies on the line for their teammates. However, they are also a disappearing breed, a result of the correct sentiment permeating society that “head injuries are bad.” That is, the last must be cherished. And now the hockey world is enjoying a moment with one of the last players to ever play ice hockey. He plays 5 minutes per game. He's one of the most attractive shows on the ice at the moment. And we should enjoy watching every last one of these players engage in dangerous activities. First, they won't stop if we don't stop them. Second, if we don't evaluate their actions, they endanger their safety needlessly.
New York Rangers pugilist Matt Lempe's exploits are not just for nothing. The 21-year-old was called up by the American Hockey League and appeared in nine games in his rookie season. He has one goal and one assist in less than six minutes of ice time each night. He had less than a minute of power play time and less than a second on the penalty kill. However, he is one of the most active players in hockey at the moment, as he fights and excites his opponents with unusual frequency for this era. By playing dirty. I don't know if Rempe's vision is ultimately good or bad, but he is a hockey player in a time machine. They don't make them like him anymore.
Rempe fought four times in his first nine NHL games. In his debut game against the neighboring Islanders, he decisively defeated the Islanders' Matt Martin, a good step towards cult heroism for the Rangers. In the third game, he took an even harsher step toward the same status by throwing a vicious arm into the head of Nathan Bastian of the New Jersey Devils, who was simply playing the puck. (Of course the authorities kicked Rempe out of the game.) The rookie scored his first goal in the next game and played again, but he needed just one assist to complete his vaunted Gordie Howe hat trick. There wasn't. In Lempe's four official matches (in which he took off his gloves and teamed up with his opponent, rather than pushing and shoving), there was one clear victory, one clear loss, and several more struggles. There was. There are few draws. This is according to his HockeyFights.com voters, the world authority on hockey game decisions. Lempe's matchup with Philadelphia's Nicolas Deslauriers was a rock-em-sock-em-robot affair, with both fighters landing a barrage of punches. Watching a Lempe game is terrifying, and whether you can bear the spectacle depends on what you like about hockey. If they prefer the speed and skill of the world's best players (like I do), Lempe's stupidity is of little use. Even if they were watching the game with some kind of murderous intent, Lempe is the kind of guy who can soften that. And whether there's room for Rempe under center will depend on how good you think he is at actual hockey, which involves skating, shooting and passing rather than punching.
Is Rempe a useful player or just a sideshow? It's borderline. He is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 241 pounds, closer to NBA power forward size than hockey size. Over the past decade, front offices have realized that hockey is a game of speed and that physical violence is valuable. However, he has scored several goals in each of the past few years in the minor leagues, and his first NHL goal showed his deft ability to stand in front of the goalie and bounce the puck away despite being 6-foot-7. Into the internet with him. Being 6 feet 7 inches is a skill. And while Rempe has played in fewer games so far, it hasn't seemed to kill the Rangers' ability to hold onto the puck. Still, the Rangers are scheduled to be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs soon, and it doesn't feel better than 50-50 for him to get the jersey for that game. The Fighters are regular season players.
But Lempe may not need to be a great player to play a useful role for the sport: as a player on a high-profile New York team. Hockey is in a never-ending war for mainstreaming, even when the game is being played at Madison Square Garden. Over the past 30 years, the Rangers have had a number of superstars, from Mark Messier to late-career Wayne Gretzky to legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. But NYR has been without a big star for much of the past decade, ever since Lundquist started to show signs of decline. (Artemi “The Bread Man” Panarin was not meant to be disrespectful. He was a great scorer, and his notoriety to non-hockey fans came after President Vladimir Putin tried to frame him for sexual assault.) It has only occurred since then.) His appeal is such that popular publications want news stories about him, and non-hockey fans are widely wondering, “What's the guy's deal?” Having a fourth-rate plugger enter the game won't fundamentally change the sport or make the crowd explode, but it will take everything hockey can get.
What's most compelling about Lempe's moment is the unanswered question of how long it will last. He won't be a news story soon, but how long will he stay in the NHL? Long term, will he have to keep throwing haymakers to stay in the league?It could quickly become something like many There are very few pure fighters these days who can take a lot of shots to the head and stay in the league for long.Most of them should also be good at more things hockey Part of hockey. Gravity will cause Lempe to fight less and forecheck more, but in hockey it takes a little longer for gravity to get into the room.The battle will continue until morale drops or the Rangers bring Rempe back to health. scratch.
