The NHL veteran spoke highly of the 6-foot-8 1/2 Lempe on Monday before the Leafs played the Bruins.
The two sides faced off in the much-anticipated game in the third period, where the Rangers lost to the Leafs in a 4-3 penalty shootout.
“He’s going to be a threat in the league.” Reeves said, according to USA Today.
“He’s definitely the longest-fighting guy I’ve ever fought,” added former Rangers pugilist Reeves. “He’s about 6 to 9 years old. He’s really lanky and definitely the biggest guy I’ve ever fought.”
It took two invitations from Reeves for Rempe to hang up his gloves, and the fight lasted about a minute before a linesman jumped in to end it.
The crowd roared when the two finally took the field, and when the two spoke in the penalty box, Reeves said Rempe was “a really nice, humble kid.”
Lempe explained to the Post’s Molly Walker on Monday that the Rangers had the momentum and didn’t have to fight when Reeves tried to go in the first period.
“After that, I was able to choose my position better,” he said. “We’re down and maybe we need something and we need some energy out there. Also, when we’re being blatantly challenged like that, we can say no, but I They are competitors.”
Saturday was the first time Lempe was withdrawn from a game since making his NHL debut last month.
Reeves pointed to the anticipation for the game between the two sides, explaining that it shows that despite efforts to take games out of hockey, fans still prefer in-person games.
“It was almost cool to watch because it shows that fights don’t die in this sport,” Reeves said. “People still get excited about it and enjoy that part of it.”
Once Lempe entered the league, he realized he was pitching and became something of a celebrity.
In his first five NHL games, he fought four times.
