Scott Gomez’s dubious anniversary

Scott Gomez's goal drought currently stands at one year. Will he ever score again? Only time will tell.

As everyone knows, an anniversary commemorates a past event that took place on a certain date. Some of these events are good and are fondly remembered by all, while others are anything but.

Montreal Canadiens centreman Scott Gomez recently celebrated an anniversary of sorts – the date that he scored his last goal. That date was Feb. 5, 2011, a game against the New York Rangers which the Habs won 2-0. Gomez scored the first goal in the game, while Tomas Plekanec added an empty-netter en route to earning the win.

Gomez has not scored a goal since. At the end of the 2010-11 season, he issued a public apology to his teammates and Habs Nation for letting them down. His statistics had been highly underwhelming that season, as he managed only seven goals and 31 assists for a paltry total of 38 points – one of his lowest outputs in years.

Indeed, the $7.5 million man has seen his production completely tail off ever since he was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers in 2009. Bob Gainey, the Canadiens’ general manager at the time, took a lot of heat for acquiring Gomez, who never lived up to his expectations. Gone was the slick centre that had once enjoyed a 33-goal, 84-point season with the New Jersey Devils. In his place was an overpaid underachiever whose lethargic and uninspired play had earned him more critics than supporters.

When the Habs faced the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Feb. 5, Gomez “celebrated” this dubious anniversary. At one point during the game, it appeared as if he had scored, but the goal was later credited to Plekanec after a lengthy review. Habs house announcer Michel Lacroix refused to announce the goal until he was given the final word from officials that Gomez had not scored. And when he finally did make the announcement, the fans actually booed Plekanec, as they really wanted to see Gomez break out of the longest goal-scoring slump of his 12-year career.

Although Gomez did miss 21 games this season with an undisclosed injury, this is no excuse for his lack of production. Numerous websites have made light of this fact, and have created countdowns to Gomez’s next goal. Those countdowns are still ticking away, and some are convinced that Gomez will not score again this season. The only points that the Alaska native has to his name this season are just seven assists.

If the Canadiens’ management was smart – and they have not been this season – they would consider buying out Gomez and his albatross of a contract at season’s end. It may be both a risky and a costly move, but if the Habs ever have any hopes of returning to form, they must find a way to cut their ties to Gomez.

Mark David is a staff writer for The Hockey Beat.

He also writes for  Examiner.com.

Email him or follow him on Twitter @MarkEDavid.