Madison Square Garden has a new signature sound.
The foreboding hum that pervades the air as Matt Lempe and Adam Edstrom speed off down the ice, take hits, and battle the puck behind the visitors' net until they finally decide which one. , or if both come into contact, it will explode a crowded stand.
It's just a byproduct of watching two hockey players over 6-foot-7 transform into the Mighty Ducks' Bash Brothers.
Just by calling him Edstrom Fulton Reed, Rempe becomes Dean Portman.
We may see a repeat of this behavior at the Garden this season.
Jimmy Vesey is certainly an option to start with him suffering a weekly lower-body injury.
Edstrom and Rempe served as the Rangers' fourth-line wing in two exhibition games this preseason, with free agent signing Sam Carrick playing center in one of those games.
It has forged units with size, strength, and average occlusion.
“It was fun, for sure,” Carrick told the Post after the Devils' second exhibition game earlier this week. “They're both big guys, but they can fly all over the place. I thought they got off to a really good start. Lemps had some big hits and got the crowd going, just like he did. This will make things easier to calm down.
“Those two guys create energy and you can kind of read it. I think we did a pretty good job of getting the team momentum, especially early on.”
Johnny Brodzinski joined Carrick and Lempe in the Rangers' 5-2 loss to the Islanders in the final preseason game at UBS Arena on Friday night, which was supposed to be the closest thing to opening night rehearsal. was recognized.
That night, the 31-year-old took a shot from the top of the zone that bounced over Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov and into the goal.
The Rangers have given Brodzinski a depth role for the past four seasons, which could give him an advantage over Edstrom in the race for a spot in the final lineup.
Additionally, Brodzinski would have to be placed on waivers to be sent to Hartford, while Edstrom is not.
It might make sense for head coach Peter Laviolette to prefer giving the fourth line a scoring touch in Brodzinski, especially if he wants another piece to complement Rempe and Carrick.
But if the Rangers want to lean into the fourth-line identity they started with last season, a unit that has been chaotic at times and has made opponents feel all sorts of changes, then Edstrom is the way to go. It will be.
There's a certain pop that Edstrom and Rempe bring to the game, the team and the overall atmosphere.
It's contagious. It's buildable. Laviolette is a tool that can be placed in your back pocket.
Edstrom and Rempe appeared in eight games together last season as the Towering Wings, seven of which with Barclay Goodrow at center.
This statistic is skewed because it was during a time when rookies were still earning Laviolette's trust, which meant he was getting ice time.
However, both forwards have been praised by Laviolette for coming into training camp in great shape and prepared.
“They were really good,” Laviolette said of Edstrom, Carrick and Rempe. “They're physical. We certainly thought early on they were our best line. Every time they were on the ice, they put the ice behind them and put them in the offensive zone. . They bring physicality and then the puck goes into the net and good things happen. That's how they score goals, so I thought they were a strong line for us. .”
The Rangers signed Carrick to a three-year, $3 million contract this offseason to replace Goodrow, who was waived and later acquired by the Sharks.
The 32-year-old Carrick has a similarly stubborn genetic makeup, although they don't have the same playoff pedigree, considering Carrick's only NHL playoff experience came last year with the Oilers.
The goal is to reduce the cost of the role, not change it.
Carrick is listed as 6 feet tall, but is known to be a pest.
In conversations with the veteran, it was clear how much he feels he fits in with players who play the game like Rempe and Edstrom.
It also didn't take long for Carrick to notice the energy, emotion and crowd reaction to the trio coming in on the forecheck.
“I think that's my game, too,” Carrick said of watching the two giants. “I think all three of us can be on the forecheck, and I think we're all reliable players. As a centerman, it's my job sometimes to be a little more patient and allow them to get in there. It's okay, I can read from them, but I think we all know that. We are all replaceable.
“Whether one of them is down low and I’m playing on the wing through a shift, that’s what happens sometimes. As we play together more and get more chemistry, I think it will get even better.”
Laviolette said Artemi Panarin (lower body) skated on Friday.
Russian Starwings are still classified as everyday items.
