Matt Rempe flattens Tom Wilson with a big hit.

For some time now fans in the National Hockey League have been eagerly anticipating a showdown between New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe and Washington Capitals bruiser Tom Wilson, but so far that showdown has yet to materialize. We may have gotten a little closer to it becoming a reality on Sunday night however after a game between the Rangers and Capitals saw things heating up between the two big men.

It was Rempe who would get the better of Wilson this time around when he lined up the Capitals forward for a massive hit in the open ice, one that would launch Wilson, who was attempting to get a shot off, all the way into the boards. It was a thunderous body check that brought the fans in attendance to their feet, the kind of hit that Wilson isn't likely going to soon forget.

We've seen both men show a willingness to get in one another's face before but for whatever reason the two have yet to come to blows, although I suspect this latest interaction between the two may prove to be the tipping point.

It could very well be that this showdown will come in the form of a Christmas present for hockey fans with the next two matchups between these two teams coming right around the holidays. The Rangers will travel to Washington just before Christmas to take on the Capitals on December 23rd and will do so again just a few days later on the 31st.

I can't wait.