Matt Rempe faces punishment from the Rangers for recklessness

It's unfair what's going on regarding New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe and the ongoing saga of his special treatment in the NHL. It's like there's a different rulebook just for him.

We know Rempe is a big guy, standing tall at 6'7. He's got a bit of a reputation for being a bruiser on the ice, always getting into scraps and throwing some hefty hits, especially on the smaller players. Despite his rough-and-tumble style, he's become a bit of a legend in New York. He even got Madison Square Garden chanting his name after scoring the first goal of the playoffs for the Rangers. That culture has even travelled the road in these playoffs too.

However, because of his size and aggressive play, he's got a giant target on his back, especially when it comes to penalties. Take Sunday's 4-3 win in Game 1 of round two against the Carolina Hurricanes, for example. He was shoved into the goalie by Jordan Staal, and somehow he ends up with a goalie interference penalty, making head coach Peter Laviolette irate.

Now, there's talk that he might be benched for Game 2. Despite his dedication and hard work, he might be watching from the press box on Tuesday, due to these reputation calls by referees. Yes, the Rangers killed off that penalty and four more Carolina power plays, while scoring twice on their own man-advantage in 20 seconds. However, these two teams are so evenly matched that you'd think it'll eventually hurt New York on the scoreboard at some point in this heavyweight series.

Rempe stayed late for practice with the other scratches from Game 1, which tells you he's not taking this potential scratch lightly.

We'll have to wait until Tuesday morning to see what the official word is. It's possible the work was due to the fact he was benched the entire third period with the bench being cut short due to the tight scoreline. Yet things aren't looking too good for Rempe right now. As for who could replace him, Jonny Brodzinki and Filip Chytil, who has been practicing hard as he attempts to return from a head injury sustained in November.

So, stay tuned, because this story is far from over.

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