Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the New York Rangers in a highly anticipated matchup as fans across the league were waiting for a fight to unfold between veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves and up and coming rookie forward Matt Rempe.
Rempe had already gained traction after fighting big names such as Mathieu Olivier, Nick Deslauriers and Matt Martin. Reaves finally responds with the media and comments about their recent fight.
During his media presser, Ryan Reaves said the following:
Ryan Reaves says he didn't fall asleep till 6:30 am after fighting Matt Rempe. Figures he's the longest opponent he's ever fought. «He's going to be a menace in this league.»
Ryan Reaves on his conversation with Matt Rempe in the penalty box after Saturday's fight.
Called him a «really nice kid.»
«It shows fighting's not dead in this sport. People still get amped up for it.»
Reaves said he wanted to get the Rempe fight out of the way early, given the hype, but the Ranger wouldn't go. But the Lyubushkin hit changed the temperature. Said he enjoyed their penalty box banter and it's a good sign that «fighting isn't dead» and was a crowd pleaser.
