Strange locker room exchange between Langenbrunner and White

There were some uncomfortable moments in the locker room after this morning's practice between Colin White and Jamie Langenbrunner.

White and Langenbrunner had battled pretty hard during some drills during practice and apparently there was some lingering bad feelings afterward that slipped out during a locker room exchange.

It seemed both players were at least partly joking, but there was some seriousness to it, too.

As they discussed their one-ice battles while undressing across the room from each other, the words got a little more heated.

Langenbrunner pointed out to White, "Well, I know you don't fight anymore."

"Yeah, but I'd fight you," White responded, laughing. "And I wouldn't just grab on like Zubie did."

White was referring to the fight Langenbrunner had with Dainius Zubrus during a training camp scrimmage last season. Most of the players were laughing, so it seemed to be mostly a joke. At least, I thought it was.

So, I made the mistake of approaching Langenbrunner and saying to him, "I have to ask you the obligatory dumb question about..."

I didn't get to finish my sentence. 

"I'm not answering any of your dumb questions today," Langenbrunner said as he got up.

I still thought he was joking, but then he quickly walked out of the locker room and did not return. I'm not sure if he was angry at me, angry at White or, possibly, not angry at all.

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I was going to ask Langenbrunner if he was happy to be back on the same line with Zach Parise and Travis Zajac today. It was a dumb question because Jacques Lemaire has been saying for days that Langenbrunner would be playing with them eventually.

I'm not sure now how to interpret the exchange between White and Langenbrunner. Maybe they were really joking or maybe the emotions of their one-ice battle carried over a little and that's why Langenbrunner walked off as quickly as he did.

White and Langbrunner did go at it pretty good on the, but Lemaire said he didn't notice anything partcularly heated about it.

"No," he said. "I know they pushed a little bit there on one side there...Guys are on the edge all the time. It's no big deal."

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Comments

[sdfkasdjf]

uhhh...wtf? does somone need to kick langs in the nuts?

[JasonM]

I know its your job but that isn't something that I would be posting on the blog. What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.

[Jim]

I agree with JasonM. That's a good way to wind up on the outside with the captain of the team.

[brickwall30]

interesting ... maybe he was just having a bad day and all the questions about his captaincy and place on the line with Z&Z and then some lingering annoyance with White about whatever on the ice all added up to him just not being in a good mood.

Seemed to me White was making a slightly heated joke of it, but it seemed from what the quotes and your locker room description that Jamie was genuinely unhappy about something. taking a shot at White not being physically able to fight was a bit low for purely a joke. Then the locker room laughing at White saying he would fight Jamie and would actually beat his a$$ unlike zubie mihgt have set jamie off even more.

Was White willing to answer questions after or did he seem still angry too?

[HF]

i'm all for more access--way to go TG...White should keep his mouth shut bc the new white isnt that tough on the ice at all......

[Ken]

TG, love your work, but i'm going to agree with the others about leaving this in the locker room, last thing anyone needs is Everson to pick this up and put it into the Post and have it blown out of proportion. Langenbrunner will be answering questions about this for months.

besides that, i'm with everyone else and appreciate all the great work you do.

[modnarm]

wow. on one hand i want to respect Langs and understand that emotions are emotions and reporters can probably get annoying with sometimes dumb and simple questions with obvious answers. On the other hand hes the captain and representative of this team and should conduct himself as such regardless of anything.

idk. its a tough line to ride. It is what it is and life will go on.

[sdfkasdjf]

rich chere also reported it on nj.com/devils

[iamtheprodigy]

Weird. Probably just a bit of frustration about whatever. Hopefully this isn't a serious issue or anything. Langs is always a heated guy and maybe he just needed some more time to cool off after practice.

[WayneZ]

Anyone ever met White in street clothes? The man is freak of nature, big. I think Langs did right by walking away before it escalated.

[HF]

langs is the captain and should be more respected. Imagine white saying something like that to Stevens? granted stevens can handle himself better physically, but point is it was disrespectful of white to respond that way....

[WayneZ]

HF, White and Langs are good friends. I remember reading an article that White, Langs, and Pando car pool to the rink everyday, and go out to brunch after every practice so i don't think it was so much disrespect. God knows if i said some of the stuff to strangers that i would say to a friend, i would probably get knifed.

[george]

they both live very close to each other, i think they car pool, so i'm pretty sure they are good friends.

[richer#44]

c'mom get real, these guys are competing, they're bound to get a bit heated sometimes, it'll be forgotten by tomorrow!

[MoonDragn]

Maybe he just didn't like dumb questions?

[Ben]

Anything to do with Shanny wearing the C last night perhaps?? not trying to start rumors but just curious. Watching the game last night I was quite perplexed to see him w/ the C

[TG]

I do ask a lot of them.

And White and Langenbrunner do live close to each other and have car pooled to practices at times. They spent a lot of time together two years ago when White had his eye injury and Langenbrunner was out following sports hernia surgery.

[Jason]

Nice job....now Langenbrunner hates you.

[Neil S]

People are getting too worried over this, while TG may ask "dumb questions" so does every reporter, for every team, in every sport. It's inevitable, it's not a knock on fans, but we often have questions that are just as ridiculous or terrible, and when you get enough of them reporters have to ask them.

I don't blame White or Langs at all, they were out there going at it hard, it got heated and both guys were a bit peeved. It's happened. I've had days playing hockey where I wanted to fight my best friend. It's the way the game is and it's especially what happens when you're in close quarters with the same guys all the time. Anyone in a large family can attest to that.

It'll be forgotten by tomorrow and that'll be that.

[MikeR]

Happens all the time in locker rooms. It's kind of like the brothers that fight at home but no outsider better mess with them. They spend a lot of time together and things can build up. It goes away when the regular season starts and they can bang on the other team instead. Many a football coach has been in the same situation where they can't wait to start the regular season so their own guys won't kill each other.

[TG]

To be honest: I was only going to ask Langenbrunner about the line thing because i figured some of you would ask what he said.

I'm sure he's tired about being asked about that.

[Jason]

You may have to fight him to squash this.

[devilstown]

Hey TG it's like when my wife gets mad at me, I just tell her, "Hey, you'll either get over it or you won't." I think Jamie still feels somewhat insecure replacing Stevens (Elias doesn't really count), especially when #4 lurks above the ice both, literally (Lou's Box), and figuratively (Banner).

I agree the "C" deserves respect, but don't challenge someones manhood. There is no way 20 guys get along together all the time, but then again so what!

[Warren]

I wish I could somehow blame this on Lou...but even I can't!

[ams920]

TG, I'm going with not angry at all. I also remember reading they are good friends and Jamie seems to have a pretty dry sense of humor.