Scott Gomez spent two seasons playing in New York and they definitely weren't the greatest years of his career.
After thriving as a New Jersey Devil, the NHL's first Latin-American player crossed the Hudson River only to put up sub-par, un-Gomez like numbers for the New York Rangers. It wasn't quite what he expected.
It wasn't quite what Glen Sather, Rangers fans, or quite frankly, anyone who followed his career expected either.
Scotty was the cream of the 2007 free agency crop. He was the player to sign if you were a general manager. Sather may have overpaid for him, but if you look at some of the other signings of the offseason (Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth, Sheldon Souray, and, ahem, Roman Hamrlik), the price tags were pretty hefty all around.
There was no debating that Gomez was one of the most talented, nifty skaters in the NHL.
But he was disappointing—most notably because of his salary.
No one was as disappointed as Gomez himself, who said that he was embarrassed by his performance as a Blueshirt.
Well, everyone deserves a second chance.
Welcome to Montreal, a city in which you will most likely only get one chance to prove your worth. There is no room for error...I'm sure that Scott Gomez has done his homework and realizes this.
Gomez has been to the promised land twice—he was a key component in the last Devils' Cup victory in 2003.
He has dealt with the media—under the blazing hot New York camera lights—with grace and candor. He always seems to know what to say at the right times.
Man, I wish there was a spot available on the Habs for him to do the same.
Oh wait.
Could this have been in Bob Gainey and Jacques Martin's plans all along?
It can't be argued that it was always a headlining issue to bring in a new cast of characters with a different set of leadership qualities.
Why not bestow the honoured "C" on the centerpiece of the offence? Gomez is, after all, the only one of the new pieces that was acquired through trade rather than free agency.
Wouldn't it be nice to show him how much he means to us?
Nothing would truly welcome him quite like bestowing the captaincy upon him.
The management knows this just as well as I do.
A happy employee is a good employee.
Let's see just how happy this employee can be given the opportunity.
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