Ryan Reaves shares his unfiltered thoughts on Matt Rempe.

New York Rangers rookie enforcer Matt Rempe is making quite a name for himself around the National Hockey League, and it's not just the fans that he's impressing.

On Saturday night in Toronto, Rempe faced arguably his toughest challenge yet when he dropped the gloves at center ice with veteran NHL enforcer Ryan Reaves. The big bruising Maple Leaf has far more experience in these types of situations but in spite of that Rempe managed to hold his own against a very challenging opponent.

On Monday, Reaves was asked about his opponent from Saturday night and it would appear as though Rempe has earned himself a measure of respect from the Maple Leafs forward. Reaves admitted that he remained awake until 6:30 am following the fight and added that Rempe provided a unique challenge as the longest opponent he's ever faced.

“He’s going to be a menace in this league," said Reaves on Monday.

Reaves added that he loved the atmosphere that was created by the fans and their anticipation of the matchup on Saturday night, adding that he thinks Rempe is a "really nice kid."

"It was almost cool to see because it shows that fighting's not dead in this sport," said Reaves. "People still get amped up for it."