Forward Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers and former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque recently sparred. In particular, Laraque taught the 21-year-old Rempe certain fighting skills that had helped him become one of the best enforcers in the NHL in his day. While the 47-year-old Laraque spotted promise in Rempe during one of his clashes, he felt the young forward still had room to grow into his full enforcer potential.
According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, Laraque expressed her concern about the way he was being pounded excessively due to his lack of technique. After a few altercations, he ended up with black eyes and a scarred face. When things started to go south in the Olivier bout, I thought, “Okay, I need to contact him.” Since he contributed greatly to the team’s success. After receiving an invitation from Laraque, Rempe eagerly accepted to train with him.
“Listen, I told him, ‘Listen, when the season is over, if you want, we can meet up and do this on the ice.'” Laraque explained. Skating is far more fun than texting. So, he asked me via text message a few weeks ago, “Can I accept your offer?” It wasn’t a brief skirmish between the two. Walker claims that Rempe and Laraque dedicated 90 minutes daily to training in a way that would keep Rempe safe from harm and extend his career. Fighting involves numerous things that the average person doesn’t know about.
Laraque taught Rempe that there is strategy and technique involved in hockey fights, even if it appears like players are just aggressively throwing fists at each other. Rempe may have been a formidable opponent last year, but Laraque is convinced that The Remper will be even more so after implementing the strategies he has studied. “Be patient,” Laraque instructed. We worked on this so much; I taught him a lot of techniques. When you see it, I will be overjoyed. I am very excited. They are aware of it as well, you know. Everyone in the league is aware of his recent action. Everyone is aware that he won’t be the same.
