There was a lot of hype surrounding Saturday night’s game between the Rangers and Maple Leafs. It had little to do with both teams having good records.

Instead, most of the hoopla centered around Rangers forward Matt Rempe. The 21-year-old rookie has quickly made a name for himself. Since debuting against the Islanders with a memorable fight against Matt Martin at the Stadium Series on Feb. 18, Rempe has handled himself extremely well.

A former 2020 sixth round pick, he entered Saturday night with a goal, assist, 32 penalty minutes, and three fights. The fact that Rempe’s contributed offensively during limited shifts while adding some much needed physicality to the roster demonstrates what kind of a high character player he is.

It isn’t all about bruising hits and dropping the gloves against opponents. There’s more to Rempe than that. He has some real personality. It was on display when he earned the game’s first star in a win over the Flyers on Feb. 24. There, he was getting the postgame interview on ABC showing that enthusiasm that’s made him a very popular player.

With the Rangers facing the Leafs in Toronto on a Hockey Night In Canada, everyone wanted to see Rempe take on well-respected veteran Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves.

During their first few shifts, Reaves engaged Rempe to gauge his interest. With the Rangers ahead on an early goal from Alexis Lafreniere, Rempe decided to pass on fighting Reaves. Instead, he opted to stick to playing hockey. That meant getting in on the forecheck and playing defensively responsible. It was a wise decision. There was no reason to fight with the Rangers leading on the scoreboard.

During the second period, with Reaves off on a line change, Rempe skated across the ice and launched a heavy hit on Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. He didn’t stand a chance. Rempe’s skates came off the ice on the big hit. It likely should’ve been a charging minor penalty.

The end result was a woozy Lyubushkin trying to shake off the cobwebs bent over at the Toronto bench. Eventually, he exited the game. Hopefully, it isn’t a serious injury. Nobody wants to see a player get hurt.

In the third period, with the Rangers trailing the Leafs 3-2 on a John Tavares goal, Reaves didn’t take no for an answer. Seeking retribution for his injured teammate, the 37-year-old warrior finally got Rempe to oblige with 5:59 remaining.

The amusing part was Rempe’s reaction. Before he dropped the gloves at center ice, he gave a look to the Rangers bench and said something to his teammates. It was obvious that he was enjoying the moment.

Then, Rempe took part in his fourth fight in only the seventh game of his NHL career. He took some shots from Reaves, who used his experience well. But Rempe also landed a few blows in what amounted to an entertaining hockey fight.

Fittingly, that was his final shift of the night. In nine shifts, Rempe totaled three hits and five penalty minutes in 5:56 of ice time. He again gave another packed house something exciting. Afterward, Rempe raised his hands and saluted Reaves, who did the same. It was another cool moment.

There was still a game to be decided. Thanks to a good faceoff win by Vincent Trocheck, the Rangers tied the game with 1:07 left in regulation. Adam Fox had a shot deflected by Lafreniere on Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov. The rebound came right to Trocheck for his second goal of the game.

Ultimately, the Rangers lost to 4-3 to the Leafs in a shootout. It was a great game. One that Rempe will remember.