Matt Rempe goes after teammate in heated Rangers camp confrontation!

The New York Rangers opened training camp on Thursday at the Madison Square Garden Training Center in Greenburgh, N.Y., and the intensity was apparent from the start. The moment that has become viral came near the end of the first period of a two-period scrimmage, when Matt Rempe and Marc Del Gaizo got tangled up along the boards.

Del Gaizo, a 5-foot-11 defenseman, checked the 6-foot-9 Rempe into the side boards, and Rempe did not take kindly to it. He shoved back aggressively, knocking Del Gaizo's helmet off as teammates rushed in to separate the two. The confrontation never escalated into a full fight with punches thrown, but it became the defining image of a physical opening day.

Rempe was unhappy with the play along the boards and "went after him," adding that Rempe had been playing aggressively throughout the entire first day of camp.

Del Gaizo downplayed the incident afterward, telling reporters: "It's nothing personal. It's training camp. Everyone's trying to go out there and put their best foot forward.” The blue liner, who has appeared in 55 NHL games and logged 353 AHL contests, described himself as a player with "piss and vinegar" to his game.

Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle is the relationship between the two. Del Gaizo revealed that he and Rempe actually trained together over the summer, saying Rempe "took me under his wing."

The skirmish was far from the only physical moment of the day. Will Cuylle levelled rookie defenseman Alberts Smits in the corner, and J.T. Miller shoved Carey Terrance to the ice. Head coach Mike Sullivan embraced the tone his players set ahead of the season.

For Rempe, the stakes are real. When the Rangers unveiled their initial lines on Thursday, he rotated in as an extra, with Tye Kartye, Joe Veleno, and Jarslav Chmelar occupying the fourth line. That suggests Rempe will need to earn his way onto the roster. His last NHL fight, in October, resulted in a broken thumb that required surgery and kept him out for months.

With the season opener against the Bruins on September 29, this condensed preseason leaves little room for wasted days. For now, Rempe's aggressive approach has generated plenty of buzz, even if his path to a roster spot remains uncertain.