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Fallout from Don Martin and Dimitri Soudas spat breathlessly awaited in Ottawa

It wasn't quite as exciting as the fisticuffs between Justin Trudeau and Patrick Brazeau, but it may have longer-term consequences.

Tout l'Ottawa is wondering what's happened to political pundit Don Martin since his widely reported set-to with Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former press secretary at Hy's Steakhouse on budget night.

Martin hosts CTV's Power Play political affairs program but didn't appear on the show Friday, the day after a verbal altercation with Soudas at the restaurant.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, Martin encountered Soudas at the restaurant squiring his girlfriend, Conservative MP Eve Adams.

"What are you doing with this guy?" Martin lightheartedly asked Adams, according to a witness.

But Soudas, not known for his sense of humour while acting as Harper's media pitbull, apparently didn't find Martin's quip amusing and the two began trading increasingly sharp barbs.

Soudas reportedly said he'd report the exchange to George Cope, chief executive of Bell Canada Enterprises, which owns CTV News Channel.

The Toronto Sun reported that Martin told Soudas that he and Cope, who was not present, could "go f--- yourselves."

Cope's son, Blair, works with Soudas, who is now the head of communications for the Canadian Olympic Committee. CTV is part of the 2012 Summer Olympics Canadian broadcast media consortium.

The Star reported a CTV source said the Sun's version of events were a "pack of lies," and that Cope's name was never mentioned. Neither Soudas nor Martin were talking, nor were Martin's bosses at CTV.

Witnesses reported Martin apologized to Soudas for his comments.

The little pond that is Ottawa was 'aTwitter' about the spat.

"@CTVNews Don't discipline Martin because Soudas is a cry baby. Parliament Hill is worse than high school... http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Where+Martin/6393012/story.html #cdnpoli," tweeted Gregory Johannson.

"This is a choice between Don Martin and Dimitri Soudas? This is not complicated. CTV silence..all class," tweeted Tom Clark, chief political correspondent at CTV rival Global News.

Here's a thought: Now that Liberal MP Justin Trudeau's rejected the idea of a rematch against Patrick Brazeau after beating up the Tory senator in a cancer-fundraiser boxing match Saturday night, maybe a Martin-Soudas matchup could top next year's card.