There is no hockey fan out there who would ever expect to hear the words “John Scott” and “MVP” in the same sentence. But after a chaotic month of voting, trades and reassignments, along with a hell of a weekend, that has all changed.
For Scott and the entire National Hockey League, the 2016 All-Star weekend will go down in history. Scott had gone from a fourth-line goon to All-Star MVP, all over the course of the month. Rightfully so.
For those who don’t know the story, the enforcer was asked to bow out of the All-Star Game, but when he refused, the league and the Coyotes decided to make it so he would be ineligible to play.The Coyotes traded Scott to the Montreal Canadiens, who immediately assigned him to the AHL St. Johns Ice Caps.
After backlash from the fans and many looking down on the league for their treatment of the 33-year-old enforcer, commissioner Gary Bettman came to his senses and allowed Scott to participate, since he won voting fair and square.
And from the moment Scott stepped off that flight to Nashville, he created a frenzy.
Before the festivities kicked off, Scott published a piece on the Player’s Tribune, titled “A Guy Like Me.” Here, he stirred controversy when he discussed his poor treatment from the Coyotes front office and the entire National Hockey League, while also discussing how the only thing he wants is for his family to be proud of him. And everyone heard him.
Seriously. All of his jerseys and gear sold out. Autographed pucks and memorabilia were being sold for hundreds of dollars. And the media was all over the player that no one ever really thought anything of, and to make things even more hilarious, Scott took a picture of the giant media presence during his press conference.
For the Skills Competition, Scott wanted to wear his Ice Caps jersey due to the fact he technically does not play for Arizona or Montreal, but the league would not allow him to do so. So, he slipped on his standard black All-Star Jersey, with no team patch and the “C” rightfully sewn over his heart.
Clad in his uniform, the 6-foot-8 captain skated out for the skills competition and received a deafening standing ovation. When he went up to participate in the hardest shot contest, the cheers got louder and louder.
This would go on for the entire weekend; it was not just the skills competition where the fans screamed for Scott, who has only scored five goals in the NHL. The game was really where Scott shined.
He laced up his skates and led the Pacific Division all the way to the 3-on-3 championship victory over the Central Division. He scored two goals, including an impressive breakaway goal, where he scored top-shelf on the far side. Not only that, he made sure to bring his role as an enforcer into play, when he crunched Patrick Kane in a crushing hit then fought him in a mock bout.
After an impressive performance and win, Scott was named the NHL All-Star Game MVP and was carried on his teammates’ shoulders. His smile would be absolutely priceless, and the cheek-to-cheek grin would not fade when he was awarded a $1 million check and a brand new car. It was a special night and a great ending to an amazing journey.
“You can’t really write this stuff,” Scott said. “To be able to come to the game first of all and then meet all the guys, and have them kind of accept me, and then have the warm embrace by the fans. And then to go out there and win the tournament and to be named MVP… it’s. Just. Crazy.”
“Crazy” is an understatement. After the game, Scott’s helmet was collected, and it will be placed and displayed in the NHL Hall-of-Fame in Toronto. Bettman, who did everything he could to stop Scott from playing, told the enforcer he was proud of him. His jersey sales will continue. Teams will never underestimate the role of an enforcer again.
Yes, Scott deserved that award. And it wasn’t just for an impressive two-goal performance and a strong outing as the captain of the Pacific team. He deserves it because he is now an NHL hero.
Why? He made the game more than the “joke” it has been for the last few years. He caught everyone’s attention, and so many more people were watching. He saved the league’s worn-out game by bringing back the diversity, as well as the fun. I’m not kidding when I say that Scott’s very presence made the game so much more memorable, and I’m sure it brought in much more attention and money than it had in previous years.
What also makes Scott a hero is how he defied the league that told him to bow out, and when he paid the price, he refused to just sit there and take it. This past weekend, Scott proved that anyone can be an All-Star, even if they were a mock write-in. In fact, he had a pretty strong performance and will probably capture the attention of many different NHL teams. That breakaway goal is something that many cannot do, and even Tyler Seguin went and pointed that out.
What Scott did went beyond playing in a game and making everyone laugh. He made sure everyone was watching and captured the attention of everyone, even those who aren’t hockey fans. No one missed this Cinderella Story, where he had to face poor treatment and corruption and overcome all odds to win in the end. And thanks to a hell of a story, the league got more attention from the game than they would had Scott sat out.
For those of you who say that he didn’t deserve to play: you are wrong. Scott deserves everything, from being a captain, to playing in the game, to being voted MVP. Now, everyone knows the name “John Scott.” It will no longer be simply known as the name of a fourth-line enforcer, but now, he will be known as “All-Star Hero.”
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