Inside Matt Rempe's stay with Rangers teammate Jonathan Quick: frog hunts, 'fight' with 4-year-old, more

A few days after his stay with Jonathan Quick, Matt Rempe was relaxing on the couch, unaware that a four-year-old bundle of energy was coming his way.

Cash Quick had his target and jumped at the unsuspecting New York Rangers forward.

It was Rempe's introduction to a game that Cash aptly named “Fight.” As the two fought on the couch, Cash shouted to Rempe that this was his favorite game.

“Yes, that’s mine too!” Rempe replied.

The on-ice version of “Fight” certainly helped Rempe gain cult status after last season. He was called up in February and played five fights in 17 NHL games, including one on his first career shift. Rangers fans chanted his name whenever he stepped onto the ice at Madison Square Garden, and Peter Laviolette appreciated his 6-foot-3 frame and physicality. The coach played him in 11 of the Rangers' 16 playoff games on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now that Rempe is trying to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, he's getting an up-close look at the day-to-day life of a future Hall of Famer – all while avoiding paying rent. Much to the Quick family's delight, Rempe plans to live with them for as long as he is on the NHL roster this season.

“It’s a joy to have him in the house,” said the 38-year-old Quick, entering his second season as the Rangers’ No. 2 goalie.

Rempe's stay at Quick's Connecticut home began in the summer and was originally intended to last only a week. Chris Kreider persuaded the 22-year-old to come from his hometown of Calgary to the Shoulder Check Showcase charity game in July, and Quick offered the young forward a place to stay.

This week, Rempe trained with Kreider, Quick and other NHL players under Ben Prentiss. He realized “how much better the training was” than what he was doing in Calgary. After Quick and his wife, Jaclyn, invited him to stay the rest of the summer, Rempe's mother, Janice, drove his car from Canada to Connecticut so he never had to leave.

From then on, Quick says, things just kept going.

Rempe immediately felt at home in his new home and got along well with Quick's three children: Madison, 14, Carter, 11, and Cash. He and Quick met after Rempe's nomination in the second half of last season. Both frequently participated in optional skates and Quick took the young player to dinner. They had a strong relationship, says Rempe, and it has gotten even stronger.

As the offseason came to a close, the Quicks once again informed Rempe that he could continue his stay. And he confronted her again. The family of five became a family of six.

“I’m her oldest child,” jokes Rempe.

Rookies sticking with veterans is nothing new in the NHL. During his time with the Kings in the 2022-23 season, Quick hosted 2021 first-round pick Brandt Clarke until Los Angeles traded Quick midway through the season. Among the Rangers players, Will Cuylle stuck with Vincent Trocheck all of last season.

“It definitely took a lot of external pressure off and really helped you focus on hockey,” Cuylle said. “It was also nice being with the family and dogs and stuff. When you leave the rink, you’re not alone in an apartment.”

Quick adds, “It’s just a little stability in a chaotic season.”

Rempe has a lot of fun with his living conditions. He has dinner with the family and says Jaclyn is “like a second mother to me.” He calls Quick a great mentor, mentioning the goaltender's three Stanley Cups and how well he takes care of his body. The Quicks recently built a sauna in the house and Quick showed his teammate a podcast about its benefits. The two often carpool, but sometimes drive separately when Quick wants to leave early to take a child to school and Rempe wants some more sleep.

Rempe is closer to the age of Quick's eldest two children than the goalkeeper. That's practical. Quick jokes, he and his wife don't know half of the words and phrases his children use, and Rempe can act as a translator.

“They say a lot of these YouTube terms,” Quick says. “And the streamers. They use everything…”

Of the three children, however, Rempe spends most of his time with Cash, who comes home from kindergarten around the time Rempe and Quick return from the ice rink. Besides Fight, Cash has another favorite game: Beat Up.

“Beat Up, you just have to sit there and take it,” Quick says. “Fight, you can have a say in what happens.”

That's another advantage when Rempe is there. “He has to bear the brunt now,” says Quick.

Rempe smiled and recounted a head-butting move Cash had recently performed, and the 4-year-old also attempted to throw objects at his new friend. However, he has a tactic that wants to deter Rempe. “I have to stop him from spitting,” he says.

Cash is also a fan of patrolling a stream in the backyard. He has a net that he uses to catch frogs, and Rempe sometimes joins him.

“He yells at Remps because he says he’s too big,” Quick said. “It scares away the frogs.”

The goalkeeper adds that Rempe is improving. He recently got some frogs.

So far the agreement has worked well for everyone involved. Rempe has a place to stay, Jonathan and Jaclyn have a translator, and Cash has someone who isn't known for turning down a game of Fight.

(Top photos of Matt Rempe and Jonathan Quick: Jared Silber and Luke Hales / Getty Images)