Georges Laraque is not a small man.
And yet, the longtime NHL enforcer from yesteryear looked shrunken next to the Rangers’ towering phenom, Matt Rempe, in a photo he posted to social media this week to publicize his training sessions with the 6-foot-8 ½ forward.
“If you thought Rempe was a problem this year in the @NHL,” Laraque wrote, “wait till you see him this coming season…”
After the Rangers bowed out in six games in the Eastern Conference Final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers, Rempe ventured home to Calgary for the first time since becoming a hockey household name after an eventful 28-game rookie campaign.
The 22-year-old declared he had a “big plan” for his offseason, noting that he wanted to work on every single part of his game and become an eight-to-12-minute a night player.
He said he wanted to be an option at both center and wing, as well as work on his defensive game.
All these responsibilities would have to be earned.
“I also want to work on the fighting,” Rempe said during the Rangers’ breakup day last month. “I want to be the guy. I really enjoy that side of the game, and I want to continue to work on that. And then it’s getting stronger, filling into my body more, my mobility – everything. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’ve always done that. I think as a sixth-round pick, I’ve kind of always exceeded expectations.
“Just outwork, outwork, outwork. I’ve got such a long way to go and I’m excited.”
Teaming up with Laraque, a NHL veteran of 13 years with 1,126 penalty minutes to his name, will certainly benefit the fighting side of Rempe’s game.
The two have been working together this week at the Silent Ice Center in Edmonton.
Laraque is widely considered to be one of the more successful NHL enforcers, having accumulated 53 goals and 100 assists in 695 games for the Oilers, Penguins, Canadiens and Coyotes.
In January 2010, Montreal bought out the remainder of Laraque’s contract to end his NHL career.
The 47-year-old now hosts a radio show on BPM Sports 91.9 in Montreal, in addition to serving as a public speaker.
He is also a member of the NHL’s and NHL Players’ Association’s Players Inclusion Coalition, a group of current/former NHL players and women’s professional hockey players who “work to advance equality and inclusion in the sport of hockey on and off the ice.”
Jets prospect Tyrel Bauer was also part of the training with Laraque and Rempe.
The Rangers are impressed with Rempe’s self-motivation to become a better hockey player, and they gave him an aggressive all-around offseason program that was befitting of his drive.
Part of Rempe’s adjustment to the NHL included learning when to pick his spots to fight and how to control his body and speed.
Five fights, three ejections and a four-game suspension packed into 11 regular-season games made Rempe a whistle target, which will surely continue.
It’s clear that Rempe has taken the initiative to refine this part of his game, while also improving the skills that endeared him to Rangers fans, Madison Square Garden and New York City.
There was a video circulating of Rempe teaching members of an Alberta boxing club how to fight on the ice.
He’ll look to show all of what he’s been working on come September.
“A little Calgary kid comes up from [AHL] Hartford, and suddenly seven games in, they’re chanting my name,” Rempe said in June. “It’s pretty unbelievable. I love [the fans] so much, and I want them to know I’m nowhere at all satisfied in any aspect of my game. I know how far I still have to go, and that is going to be done. I’m going to go to work every single day. I’m excited to showcase big steps next year.”
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