Enforcer Scott gets spotlight as captain
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, TEnn.
John Scott sat back in his chair and took a cellphone photo of all the reporters crowded around him once the questions finally ended.
It was a big moment for a big man, and it almost didn’t happen. So the journeyman enforcer who admits he’s an odd fit for an NHL All-Star game is soaking up every precious moment before heading back to Newfoundland, where he is toiling in the minors.
“It’s definitely strange,” Scott said Friday at one of the more unusual media days for the NHL’s showcase event. “You go in the locker room everyone’s got the NHL logo on their helmet. They threw the NHL logo on mine. It’s definitely always like, ‘You’re not in the NHL anymore.’ So it’s neat, though like I’m not used to this and all this scrum and stuff. I’m going to enjoy it while I’m here and go back to the real world.”
He is going to enjoy it with a blessing from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, too. The two had a talk Thursday night.
“And he’s more than welcome to be here,” Bettman told The Associated Press. “We’re happy he’s here. The fans spoke, and we’re happy to reflect their will.”
Scott said he was glad to hear that from Bettman because there was a time he really wasn’t sure the league felt that way. He wrote in The Players Tribune this week that someone from the league called him to suggest he back out of the game, an idea he rejected much to the delight of his fellow All-Stars.
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for Scott. He was traded Jan. 15 to Montreal, which promptly ordered him to its AHL affiliate in Canada’s version of the Far East. The league also had to decide what to do with him, since no one had really expected a 6-foot-8 bruiser with just five goals over 285 games in eight seasons to make an All-Star roster.
Scott didn’t just make the roster: Fans flocked online and voted him captain of the Pacific Division, taking advantage of the NHL’s willingness to give them the ability to turn at least one position into a popularity contest. The same thing happened a year ago as Latvian fans helped send Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons to the All-Star game.
Of course, Girgensons isn’t a tough guy like Scott, who may very well look a bit out of place when the league shows off its frantic 3-on-3 format during Sunday’s game.
Scott expects the NHL to change the fan vote for the All-Star Game to keep someone like himself from ever being picked again.
“They should do something if they don’t want this to happen again,” Scott said. “I think it’s a good thing for the game. It’s gotten a lot of publicity. It’s gotten a lot of people excited to watch the game, so you never know. It could be a good thing.”
All-Star merchandise with Scott’s name and number has been a hot item, so popular that Scott said he couldn’t find any of his own jerseys.
Scott said his former Arizona teammates supported him accepting his All-Star spot.