Scott Gomez has reopened an old Canadiens wound, leaving Martin St-Louis' club with a reminder of how bitter his Montreal chapter became.
Richard Labbé says Gomez declined an interview connected to Montreal because the former Canadiens forward no longer wants anything to do with the city.
That stance carries weight more than a decade after Gomez's time with the organization ended. The memories clearly haven't faded enough for him to revisit that period publicly.
The hardest stretch came between February 5, 2011 and February 9, 2012, when Gomez went 369 days without scoring a goal.
The reaction inside Bell Centre became relentless. Fans mocked the drought whenever Gomez touched the puck, while his contract and declining production became constant talking points around the team.
According to the report, some of the treatment even targeted his Mexican and Colombian roots, adding a far uglier layer to what was already a miserable hockey experience.
His arrival had carried enormous expectations because Montreal acquired him from the New York Rangers in a deal that sent Ryan McDonagh the other way.
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Scott Gomez just reopened one of Montreal's deepest wounds
Gomez actually produced immediately after the trade. He recorded 59 points in 78 games during his first Canadiens season, giving Montreal real offense down the middle.
But his production dropped after that opening year, and the McDonagh side of the trade only made the pressure heavier as the defenseman developed into a major NHL piece.
Gomez became tied to everything Canadiens fans disliked about the transaction: the salary, the scoring drought and the player Montreal surrendered to get him.
That doesn't make every part of the reaction fair. There is a difference between criticizing performance and turning a struggling player into a nightly target.
The fact that Gomez reportedly won't even entertain a Montreal-related interview shows how deeply that experience stayed with him after his playing days moved on.
For Canadiens fans, the story is also a reminder of how quickly expectations can change the relationship between a player and a market. One difficult season can become something much bigger.
Gomez has clearly made his choice. Montreal remains part of his NHL story, but he appears to have no interest in revisiting it, defending it or rebuilding his relationship with the city.
Were Canadiens fans too harsh on Scott Gomez during his Montreal run?
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