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Scott Gomez News & Rumors

Coach chews out Gomez at practice
February 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez was the centre of attention at the Canadiens' practice Tuesday for all the wrong reasons. The day after he was nailed to the bench for most of a 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Gomez received what he described as an "ass-chewing" from assistant coach Randy Ladouceur. "It happens all the time," Gomez said as he tried to make light of the situation. "I screwed up on a drill. It just shows the fire is still there in all of us. I screwed up, and he let me know it. It's not the first time; it's not the last time.""
Montreal Canadiens: Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez share the spotlight
February 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"As the media waited for the Canadiens' locker room to open after Thursday night's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, Max Pacioretty stuck his head out and asked: "Did it count?" He was asking about his last-second shot into an empty-net and when he was assured that it had counted, he broke into a wide smile. "That's my first NHL hat trick and my first pro goal into an empty net," Pacioretty said. "I wasn't watching the clock, but my teammates were yelling at me and I knew I had to get the puck off fast." The puck was a true buzzer-beater, going into the net at 19:59."
In the Habs' Room: Canadiens stand behind slumping Scott Gomez
February 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"When was the last time you heard the announcement of a Canadiens goal booed at the Bell Centre? It happened Sunday afternoon after Tomas Plekanec scored a power-play goal to complete the scoring in the Canadiens' 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The fans at the Bell Centre weren't unhappy with Plekanec; they were hoping that the goal would be awarded to Scott Gomez, who hasn't scored a goal since Feb. 5, 2011. The one-year anniversary of Gomez's last goal provided a subplot for a solid performance against the Jets and even Plekanec was hoping that Gomez would get the credit."
Montreal Canadiens' Scott Gomez out with groin injury
November 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez's campaign to regain a spot on one of the Canadiens' top lines has run into another roadblock. The veteran centre suffered a groin injury in the second period of Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Jacques Martin declined to offer any information about the injury, but did say Gomez would not play against the Philadelphia Flyers Friday afternoon (3 p.m., RDS, TSN-HABS; TSN Radio-800) and won't be available Saturday night when the Canadiens face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre. Gomez slid down the depth chart after he was sidelined for nine games earlier this season with an upper-body injury."
Scott Gomez: 'This whole thing is surreal'
November 21
Montreal Gazette
 
"The last time Scott Gomez scored a goal … " ... I had a full head of hair," Gomez said Sunday, speaking lightly to the theme from beneath the stubble on his skull. It was an off-day for the Canadiens, the week having ended Saturday with the team's third game in four nights. But Gomez was on Brossard ice Sunday morning with teammate Hal Gill, who has missed the past three games while recovering from an infection that required hospital treatment."
Montreal Canadiens' Scott Gomez nearing a return to action
November 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez is a few strides closer to returning to the Canadiens' lineup and head coach Jacques Martin is looking at a real-life game of musical chairs. The Canadiens have four centre spots available and the return of Gomez means the Canadiens will have five centres. The four current centres will remain in the lineup when Gomez returns, but one will be asked to play on the wing. It won't be Tomas Plekanec. He has been the Canadiens' leading scorer the past two seasons and has proven that he is a top-line centre. And it won't be newcomer Petteri Nokelainen. The Finn is the Canadiens' most successful faceoff man and his size is a welcome addition to the fourth line. That leaves Gomez, Lars"
We won't see Gomez as a winger
November 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez is a few strides closer to returning to the Habs' lineup and head coach Jacques Martin is looking at a game of musical chairs. The Canadiens have four centre spots available and the return of Gomez means the Canadiens will have five centres. The four current centres will remain in the lineup when Gomez returns, but one will be asked to play on the wing. It won't be Tomas Plekanec. He has been the team's leading scorer the past two seasons and has proved he is a top-line centre. And it won't be newcomer Petteri Nokelainen. The Finn is the Canadiens' most successful faceoff man and his size is a welcome addition to the fourth line. That leaves Gomez, Lars Eller and David"
Montreal Canadiens' Scott Gomez looking to bounce back this season
September 14
Montreal Gazette
 
"Canadiens centreman Scott Gomez didn't easily forget a season that was entirely forgettable – the worst of his 11-year National Hockey League career. But at some point last spring, after considerable time spent clearing the fog and taking stock of what he did and mostly didn't do through his 80 regular-season games and seven in the playoffs, Gomez stopped looking back and started focusing his view forward. "It was never like: 'The season's over, yay, summer's here!' " Gomez said Tuesday night. "It wasn't dandy. It wasn't like: 'Well, I'm glad that's over.' I asked myself a lot of questions and I had to clear my mind. It wasn't a couple of days. I needed the time to think, to re-evaluate."
Will anyone take Scott Gomez off Habs' hands?
June 27
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez was in the untradeable category last week. But a sharp rise in the salary cap had led to speculation that the Montreal Canadiens' underachieving centre could be attractive to a team struggling to reach the new cap floor of $48.3 million. Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier is close-mouthed about any roster changes, although he has said that all options are open and a team's salary cap is fluid and can change quickly. Florida general manager Dale Tallon told TSN he felt like he was running Team Waste Management, with teams trying to dump players like Gomez on him. Florida, which is one six teams with a payroll under $48 million last season, did take Brian Campbell's annual"
Habs could bury Scott Gomez in AHL
April 30
Montreal Gazette
 
"You can buy a lot of talent in the National Hockey League these days for $8 million. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, that's how much they paid Scott Gomez this season for his seven goals, 31 assists and minus-15 in 80 regular-season games. I know, you're probably sick of hearing about his salary, and it's not his fault he earns so much. What was he supposed to say when New York Rangers GM Glen Sather offered him a seven-year, $51.1-million free-agent contract in July 2007: "Thanks, but that's too much"? But the reality is the Canadiens are on the hook for three years and $17.5 million on the Gomez deal, including $7.5 million next season. Gomez skated hard during the seven-game playoff"
Montreal Canadiens' Scott Gomez falls on his sword
April 29
Montreal Gazette
 
"On a day of reflection on a season that was and what might have been, no one looked harder in the mirror than Scott Gomez. The veteran centre admitted he "had a terrible year" and publicly apologized as the Canadiens met for the last time this season less than 24 hours after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Bruins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal Wednesday night in Boston. "I'm the first to admit, the first one to say it, I was awful and I let the guys down," Gomez said Thursday at the team's training centre in Brossard. "There's no one more embarrassed than me," added Gomez, who had only seven goals and 31 assists for a career-low 38 points in 80 regular-season games"
Habs' Gomez steps up his play
April 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez said he was ready to step up in the playoffs, and he was true to his word as he set up longtime linemate Brian Gionta for a pair of goals Thursday night as the Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 2-0 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series "I'm one of the older guys, and this is that time of year," Gomez said. "I don't know if you guys get it now, but it's all about the win. It's not about me; it's about the team." Gomez took heat in the regular season when he produced the worst numbers of his career, but he was in his comfort zone as the playoffs opened. "I've been fortunate that I was able to get the puck to Gio," Gomez said. "It's been"
Ex-Devils Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta leave burn
April 15
Boston Herald
 
"Scott Gomez is coming off what might have been his worst regular season in the NHL. The new season he began last night, however, is off to a rousing start. Gomez, held to under 40 points for the first time in his career with 7-31-38 totals, assisted on both Canadien goals. First he pounced on an errant Tomas Kaberle pass in the Bruins zone, then he stole a puck from Milan Lucic late in the game, setting up former Boston College star Brian Gionta for the two tallies in Montreal's 2-0 series-opening win. "I have been waiting a long time for this day to come after the season I had," said Gomez, who owns a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his days with the Devils. "I don't know how to explain"
Canadiens: Scott Gomez can't explain his awful season
April 13
Montreal Gazette
 
"You don't have to tell Scott Gomez that he had a bad year. Other people have been doing that for him. "Waking up in the morning and looking at the stats, I knew it was a tough year," said Gomez. "But I'd go out and people would ask me about the season and they'd talk about something that was said or written. I knew it was pretty bad but I didn't think it was that bad." So how bad was this past season? All you have to know is that his seven goals, 30 assists, 37 points and plus/minus rating of minus-15 all represented low points in a career that dates back to the 1999-2000 season. The numbers look even worse when measured against his $8-million salary. He was paid $1,142,857.14 for each"
Gomez puts teammates in OT hole
January 19
Montreal Gazette
 
"You didn't have to look far to find someone to take the blame for the Canadiens' 2-1 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. "I'm the one who took it and I've been around long enough to know that you can't take a chance like that," said Scott Gomez, who was in the penalty box when Jason Pominville scored the game winner 1:09 in overtime. Gomez received a high-sticking penalty with 42.9 seconds showing on the clock in regulation. They held the Sabres off long enough to guarantee themselves a point, but the Canadiens found themselves outnumbered in a 4-on-3 situation when Thomas Vanek set up Pominville. "We got a point out of it and that was great with all those injuries, but"
Habs' Scott Gomez cracked Tim Thomas's armour by accident
January 9
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez said he almost felt sorry for Boston goaltender Tim Thomas. Almost. "He was playing so well and then I scored on that shot," said Gomez, who propelled the Canadiens to a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins Saturday night. "I wasn't actually trying to shoot," Gomez said of the power-play goal at 17:38 of the third period. "I was trying to pass the puck to (Mathieu) Darche and it went through." Thomas had a bead on the puck, but it changed direction when it hit Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara and it went in between Thomas's pads. "They dominated us for two periods, but I thought we worked hard in the third," said Canadiens coach Jacques Martin. "The scoring"
Scott Gomez gives himself a birthday gift
December 24
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez celebrated his 31st birthday in style Thursday night as he opened the scoring and then added an assist on the winning goal as the Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. "I can't remember if I've ever scored on my birthday before, but (Brian Gionta) and I were talking earlier and it seems that I've always been here or in Florida on the 23rd," said Gomez. Gomez prides himself on his ability as a playmaker, but there was no hesitation last night as he carried the puck from centre ice and beat Cam Ward with a 15-foot wrist shot. "The defencemen (Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek) did an excellent job of hitting Scott in the middle," said coach Jacques Martin. "I think"
Injured Canadiens centre Gomez could face Red Wings
December 10
Montreal Gazette
 
""It's my ankle," Canadiens centreman Scott Gomez called back into his team's Brossard dressing room Thursday as he vanished through a door. No, it's not Gomez's ankle that's had him in treatment the past two days, his status not yet known for Friday night's game in Detroit vs. the Red Wings (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800). It seems more likely, though the team will never confirm it, that it's a mild groin injury that had Gomez play an abbreviated game in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. "He's improving," head coach Jacques Martin said Thursday, without embellishment. Whether Gomez will be available Friday night won't be known until after the morning skate or"
Gomez injury 'day-to-day'
December 9
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens made their annual Christmas visit to the children's hospitals in the city Wednesday. but two players made hospital visits of a different nature. Defenceman Andrei Markov was 2,100 kilometres away in Birmingham, Ala., where he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Centre Scott Gomez didn't have to travel as far to see a doctor about an undisclosed lower-body ailment. Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said the injury was day-to-day, but it was serious enough that he left Tuesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators early in the second period. And it was serious enough that he skipped Wednesay's practice in Brossard. Now, the question is"
Scott Gomez leaves game in second period with lower-body injury
December 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"Jeff Halpern was asked to play a larger role after Scott Gomez left the game with a lower-body injury and the veteran met the challenge as he scored the winner in the Canadiens' 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night. Halpern snapped a 1-1 deadlock when Maxim Lapierre forced a turnover and sent Halpern into the clear. He gained a step on Chris Campoli and showed great patience as he waited for Ottawa goaltender Pascal Leclaire to go down before he lifted the puck over the goaltender at 2:18 of the third period. Montreal played the last half of the game without Gomez. He suffered a lower-body injury on his first shift of the second period and left for treatment. He came back for"
'I've been waiting for that goal,' Eller says
November 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez said he'll never win the Selke Trophy that goes to the best defensive forward in the National Hockey League. But the veteran centre said a conversation with assistant coach Kirk Muller convinced him he has to play a better two-way game. "Kirkie grabbed me the other day and he showed me what I was doing," Gomez after the Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Wednesday night. "I was definitely cheating. I was looking for the offensive play and not getting back on defence. I wasn't going back hard. You can ask the (defence). I wasn't helping." But Gomez was also playing the wrong way in the offensive zone. "I was doing a lot of circling and stopping, when I should have been"
Habs' Scott Gomez isn't losing any sleep
November 13
Montreal Gazette
 
"There is nothing funny, in Scott Gomez's view, about having gone 13 games between goals. There is nothing amusing about a slump that can come at any time, for any reason, and lock you in a bear hug that literally takes your breath. But you won't find the 30-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup champion moping over pucks that don't find their way behind goaltenders. Not when his team is finding ways to win games. Yesterday, Gomez was among a dozen Canadiens on the ice for an optional practice, the most prominent forward working drills in Brossard. "The only reason I went on the ice is I got new skates and a new stick that I had to try out," Gomez said with the grin that many choose not to see as"
Gomez line tops Habs' to-do list
November 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"Two losses shouldn't be a cause for panic, but the concern for the Canadiens is how they lost the past two games. In each game, they outshot the opposition, but they managed to score only one goal. The power play continued to struggle and continues to be the least effective in the National Hockey League. And there are few signs of life from what was supposed to be the No. 1 line of Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and the left wing du jour. Head coach Jacques Martin has used five different players on the Gomez line, but so far he hasn't tweaked to the idea that Gomez may be the problem. The Gomez we've seen this season isn't the same player who put it together in the playoffs last year. He's"
Gomez, Gionta looking for left-winger
October 27
Montreal Gazette
 
"Head coach Jacques Martin described the search for a left winger to play with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta as a series of auditions. Benoit Pouliot, Travis Moen, Mathieu Darche and Tom Pyatt have all had a shot at the job and Martin said he'll continue to look at different combinations until he finds one that works. Going into Wednesday night's game against the New York Islanders (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800), the line has failed to live up to expectations. Gomez has a goal and two assists while Gionta has a goal and one assist. Gomez said he and Gionta aren't panicking over the last of production. "Brian has kind of forgotten how to score, but the opportunities are there," Gomez said"
Canadiens need Gomez, Gionta to contribute
October 21
Montreal Gazette
 
"Benoit Pouliot has been demoted to the fourth line, but his coach made it clear that he doesn't blame the youngster for a lack of production by the top units. "You seem to be focused on Pouliot (but) he has as many points as some of our other guys on the same line so I don't feel it's fair to focus on one kid on that line and not focus on the other guys who are experienced and should be leading our team," Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said Wednesday. Without naming names, the coach was calling out captain Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez. They each have just a goal and an assist heading into Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Pouliot has two assists. Gomez is the first to"
Gomez, Gionta took different paths to NHL
October 2
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez says he has one piece of advice for young players seeking a role model. "I tell them: 'Don't look at me, look at Gio.'" Gio is Brian Gionta, the Canadiens' newly minted captain and none of his teammates know him as well as Gomez. Their friendship and a friendly rivalry goes back to the days when Gionta, who grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and Gomez, who is from Alaska, were brought together at a USA Hockey development. "I met him when we were 13 or 14 and they put us on a line together," recalled Gomez. "I remember we both wore No. 11 with our regular teams and I ended up with 11 in the camp and that was the start of a friendly competition." Looking back, the 5-foot-11 Gomez said"
Habs' Gomez wants pressure to be high
September 12
Montreal Gazette
 
""Last year," Canadiens centreman Scott Gomez was saying, "everyone kinda figured we had a horseshoe (painfully placed). So if that's not motivation right there ..." Some will have you believe it was only with smoke and mirrors, or the goalkeeping of Jacques Plante's ghost, or a grand case of collective overachievement that took the Canadiens three rounds into last season's playoffs, three victories from a berth in the Stanley Cup final. Twice an NHL champion in New Jersey, Gomez knows how thin the is line between Lord Stanley and summer. Now, a week before the Canadiens open their 2010-11 training camp, having experienced a full, unforgiving year of Montreal hockey, he knows very well how"
CH fans' thunder fuelled run - Gomez
May 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"There were no reporters left at Scott Gomez's corner stall Monday night, deadlines having moved the microphones and notebooks elsewhere in the Canadiens' Wachovia Centre dressing room in search of fresh quotes. Gomez had no deadline at all; the charter wouldn't leave without him, and a few teammates were still cornered by the media. He seemed in no rush to peel off his equipment for the final time this season. So now the highest-profile offseason CH acquisition, landed last June in a multiplayer trade, leaned against the stall above his bench and exhaled a sigh that began somewhere near his ankles. "What we dealt with from the get-go - losing Markie (defenceman Andrei Markov), all the"
Former Devils Gionta, Gomez on a roll in Montreal
May 15
New York Post
 
"The Devils' leading single-season goal-scorer left New Jersey and now he's going places. Brian Gionta is one of the authors of the biggest story in the NHL today -- the "Miracle in Montreal." There was rioting in the streets back in Montreal after the Canadiens ended the Penguins' reign as Stanley Cup holders in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. The team's second straight seven-game victory multiplied the effect of their first-round shock upset of the top-seeded Capitals. Now Gionta knows what winning in Montreal means. "Crazy, man, crazy," Gionta told The Post. "Everybody follows hockey, and when you win, everybody goes crazy." Gionta holds the Devils record of 48 goals in a season, set in"
Habs heat up in Year of the Smurf
May 13
The Globe and Mail
 
"In the Montreal Canadiens' long pantheon of playoff success, every unexpected triumph usually develops its own little shorthand to mark the occasion. A reference to '71 usually conjures up images and memories of Ken Dryden's extraordinary goaltending performance. The years '86 and '93 recall heroic work from Patrick Roy. And now, halfway through a most extraordinary and unforeseen playoff run, it looks as if the spring of '10 could go down in Canadiens' history as the Year of the Smurf. It may not be as catchy as the Flying Frenchmen, but it is hard to dispute the impact of Montreal's dogged little men, from Michael Cammalleri to Brian Gionta with a little Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec"
'This city rocks,' Gomez says
March 30
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez doesn't remember the game, precisely. But he certainly recalls the compassion that followed it. Presumably, it hadn't been a good night at the Bell Centre and his treatment in the morning papers had been less than kind. Everywhere Gomez went, from morning till night, he was consoled by those kind of heart and generous of sympathy. "The little old lady in the deli, she pats me on the back and says, 'Scotty, are you okay?' " Gomez recalled yesterday after practice in Brossard. "Later, I walk by a bookstore and I get, 'You okay, Scott?' In a restaurant, the same thing. To everyone I said, 'Fine, thanks.' " By now, Gomez was chuckling, having warmed fully to the memory. "I guess it"
Gomez gives regards to Broadway
March 17
New York Post
 columnist Jay Greenberg
"Apparently not wanting Scott Gomez to enjoy Montreal's victory too much, Sean Avery slashed his ex-teammate on the back of the leg with seven seconds remaining. "Gave the fans a little treat, I guess," said Gomez. "But two points and we're out of here." Plenty fast enough, too, to leave town seven points up on the team that dumped him. And not quite fast enough to save Gomez from getting booed almost every time he touched the puck. "In New Jersey they don't even boo [Brian] Gionta, and they still boo me there," he said with a smile. "Do these people know [this time] I got traded?" Must have been the season Gomez had last year, when he missed time near the start with a broken foot and"
Darche, Gomez lead Habs over Lightning
March 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"There's a huge salary gap between Scott Gomez and Mathieu Darche, but they both proved their worth as the Canadiens continued their drive for a playoff spot with a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night. Darche, a veteran fourth-liner who earns $600,000 only when he's playing at the NHL level, scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Gomez, the Canadiens' highest-paid player at a guaranteed $8 million, extended his consecutive-games point streak to four with a goal and two assists. Jaroslav Halak stopped 28 shots which was enough for his 20th win this season. It was the Canadiens' third consecutive win and they received some help as they inched closer to a spot in the"
Playoff hunt intensifies as Habs rest
January 11
Montreal Gazette
 
"Scott Gomez figures the Canadiens will have a better idea of where they are in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt by the time they play their next game Thursday against the visiting Dallas Stars. "We have some time off and that will give the other teams a chance to catch up," Gomez said after the Canadiens let a point get away Saturday in a 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. Gomez was referring to the fact that, while the Canadiens hold down the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, they have played 47 games, and no team in the league has played more games. Every team in the East holds games in hand on Montreal and that's a crucial factor in a race where only five points"
New faces dot Habs' lineup
December 1
Toronto Sun
 
"To the pantheon of great Montreal Canadiens please welcome ... Tom D'Agostini, Jay Leach and Tom Pyatt? Hey, you work with what you have, and the Habs are trying to stay afloat near .500 with a patchwork roster that has leaned on a number of callups for injured starters. That will put them at something of a disadvantage again tonight when they play the near-healthy Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Names such as Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Andrei Markov and Andre Kostitsyn have been shelved in recent days. "We've taken a beating lately," said ex-Leaf defenceman Hal Gill, who himself is trying to make it back from a hairline foot fracture by tonight. "Hopefully, we'll be the better for it"
O'Reilly, Avs ruin Habs' home opener
October 16
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"Colorado rookie Ryan O'Reilly picked the perfect time to score his first NHL goal. O'Reilly's second effort at 13:47 of the third period gave the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night. Cody McLeod slammed Scott Gomez into the end boards to the side of the Canadiens' net and, while the fans were screaming for a penalty, O'Reilly was in position to take a pass from David Jones. Canadiens goaltender Carey Price made the stop on O'Reilly's initial shot but O'Reilly connected on the rebound. "I don't know (if it should have been a penalty); I didn't see the play," said Habs' Mike Cammalleri. "But even if it should have been, it's not an excuse for us. We have"
Centre comes out of the wilderness
October 2
Montreal Gazette
 
"Sometimes, you're called upstairs to your general manager's office to be told you've been traded. You absorb the sledgehammer blow, go back downstairs to your locker-room stall, bundle your sticks, bag your equipment and set off toward your new life. Or you could be traded, as Scott Gomez was last June 30 - you're an hour up the road into the wilds of Alaska with your buddies, going fishing, your mind swimming with the trade rumours that have found you even up there. You don't believe them until your boss finds you on your don't-bother-me cell, the voice of New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather crackling like a campfire. "For some reason, Alexander Mogilny came into my head," Gomez"