It is time that the NHL takes a hard look at the All-Star Game and finds a way to bottle up the successful and enjoyable 2016 edition of the game in Nashville. Let’s face it, one of the people who made this game more enjoyable than the usual lackluster All-Star events was none other than John Scott.
This isn’t taking anything away from Wookie Brent Burns, P.K. Jagr, Robero Luongo and Cory Schneider reuniting and all the other quirky and fun things you saw this past weekend, but seeing Scott and his mile-wide smile on the ice couldn’t help but make you happy and if it didn’t make you happy, well maybe it’s time to watch a different sport.
It was a magical weekend for Scott. Every time his name was mentioned, or when he was the center of attention, the crowd went wild. He scored two goals on Sunday and captained the winning team of the 3-on-3 tournament, which won $1 million. Oh and let’s not forget that he won the All-Star Game MVP, which is fantastic seeing as he wasn’t on the list of MVP candidates, but the internet and the NHL fans made sure that this was a glaring mistake and voted for who they wanted to see win the MVP award.
The All-Star game hasn’t been enjoyable for ages; it’s been a farce, it’s been boring and it’s had many people call out for the elimination of the game in its entirety. This time around it had more of an edge and the 3-on-3 tournament was a great idea, even if some people really didn’t want to go. This means that the NHL needs to sit down and see what made this game work. They also need to listen to the fans more and not what they think the fans will like.
It’s quite obvious that the fan vote next year will be changed to prevent another John Scott vote from happening, but maybe the NHL should leave that aspect alone. Maybe, just maybe, the NHL should allow the fans to vote in a player or two who isn’t a top star in the league. They can vote in someone who, in their eyes, should go to the All-Star Game, someone who would be happy to go to the All-Star Game. The top scorers, play makers, goalies and defenders, MVPs, etc., will always be there, even if the fans don’t vote them in. It’s time for some of the hard working guys, the guys that mean something to their communities and their teams, to get a chance to go to the All-Star Game. It wouldn’t mean all of those hard working guys would get to go, but voting one in wouldn’t be the worst thing.
It wouldn’t hurt to see another John Scott story in the game. People were more interested in watching the game with him in it, as opposed to him not being in it. Would it be so wrong to see a Dale Weise, Brandon Prust, Dominic Moore, or another John Scott make the All-Star Game? No, it wouldn’t hurt one bit. For the people who think this would ruin the credibility of the game, well let’s just remember these are the same people who hate the All-Star game anyway and want it thrown away.
We know the NHL wants to change the voting format to prevent certain things like this from happening again, which is sad when you think about it. The NHL needs to allow the fans to vote in whoever they want. I mean, isn’t this game for the fans anyway?
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