Rangers recall enforcer Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford

Brace yourselves.

The New York Rangers recalled notorious enforcer Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford on Tuesday.

He is eligible to return from his eight-game suspension Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, narrowly missing what might have been a heated rematch against the Dallas Stars Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Rempe was suspended in December for boarding and elbowing Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen.

The six-foot-eight forward became popular last season, in his rookie year with the Rangers, for fighting some of the NHL’s toughest players. But he was ejected twice and also received a four-game suspension for an elbow to the head of New Jersey’s Jonas Siegenthaler in a home game on March 11.

The 22-year-old Rempe has zero points in five games this season. The previous game against Dallas was his first back in the NHL after being recalled from Hartford.

Rempe spent the summer training to become a better fighter but also worked to become a better all-around player.

He played less than six minutes in the 3-1 win against the Stars but also drew three penalties as the Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak with the road victory.

Rempe has been assessed four game misconducts as well as eight major penalties in 22 regular-season games for the Rangers.

After getting selected by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, Rempe burst on the scene last February when he fought Matt Martin of the Islanders outdoors in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 at MetLife Stadium in his NHL debut.

He had a goal, an assist and 71 penalty minutes in 17 games last season and also scored once in 11 playoff games as the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Florida Panthers in six games.

--with files from The Associated Press