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Gomez, Canadiens coach get into verbal altercation

Montreal Canadiens v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 02: Scott Gomez #11 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on February 2, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Canadiens 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Another day, another dramatic practice in Montreal.

This time, the drama surrounded Canadiens forward Scott Gomez and assistant coach Randy Ladouceur. Ladouceur, upset with Gomez’s perceived lack of effort during a drill, let the struggling center have it courtesy a verbal tirade.

Gomez -- he of the one goal scored this season -- responded with a tirade of his own.

Depending on who you believe, this incident was either an ordinary, run-of-the-mill argument or a precursor to something bigger.

Player and coaches (read: people that generally tend to understate everything) say it was no big deal -- head coach Randy Cunneyworth smiled when discussing the shouting match and Gomez said stuff like this “happens every day.”

But reporters (read: people that generally tend to overstate everything) contend this was a blowup for the ages. Many media members thought Gomez and Ladouceur were going to come to blows; there was also this, from the Globe and Mail:

Veteran team observers say it’s been many years since they’ve seen a spat like this, and compare it to a memorable 1996 argument between then-coach Mario Tremblay and enforcer Donald Brashear. That one got so bad that Brashear was sent to the dressing room, and was traded a few days later to the Vancouver Canucks.

We probably won’t see a similar situation unfold here, because nobody’s trading for Gomez’s contract. That thing is like the gym membership from hell.

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