John Scott's run in the NHL has been mediocre at
best, he is giant enforcer who can barley keep up with the slowest NHL players.
Scott's style of play is quickly being eradicated from the NHL and the hockey
world for good. Fighting is dying and players like Scott are quickly realizing
that they have been thrown into the wrong era of professional hockey. Scott has
made a career off of being the scary enforcer who is never afraid to fight. In
his nine year NHL career he has five goals and 11 points in 285 career games.
He also has 542 career penalty minutes in the regular season, and 22 in the
playoffs with the Blackhawks. Scott has also been suspended by the NHL two
separate times by the NHL for a total of 11 games. Most causal fans know Scott
as the goon who threatened to "jump" Phil Kessel causing a huge line
brawl in the Leafs and Sabers preseason game a few years ago.
But now because of the internet he has become one
of the most talked about players in the NHL and has caused controversy. It all
started from a simple #JohnScottASG that blew up social media and started a
trend of voting. He immediately sprung up the top of the Pacific division
captain voting. He is the most unlikely of candidates to be considered one of
the best in game. With the NHL's new 3-on-3 all-star game format, Scott’s
only asset would be blocking shots in front of the net. But of course since the
voting was opened up to the fans he was voted in as a joke. At first Scott
denied the voting and asked fans to please consider some of the other skilled
players in the NHL. But the votes kept coming for Scott, and when the captains
were announced John Scott would captain the Pacific Division.
It started an immediate outpour of both support and
outrage that a 6 ft. 8 in 270-pound enforcer could be considered on of the best
in game. There was speculation on whether or not he would accept the honor or
if he would pass it along. After support from other players like Patrick Kane
who said that he hoped Scott would play because it is good for the game. He
accepted the captaincy saying it was the opportunity of a lifetime and couldn't
wait to share this experience with his family and friends. But the story didn't
end there, after reportedly being asked to vacate the voting by both the NHL
and the Arizona Coyotes Scott was traded to the Montreal Canadians. As soon as
he was traded he was sent down, a move that would null the all-star bid and
save the NHL from the mockery. But the outrage from the fans moved the league
into the considering him to play.
There was a lot of speculation on whether or not he
would captain the Pacific Division all-stars, or if he would pass it along to
someone who is much more deserving than he was. In the days leading up to the
NHL there was a lot of speculation and questioning from both sides of the
article. But was it right to kick a man out when he didn't ask for any votes
and even begged fans not to vote for him. It brought most fans back down to
earth, remembering that while Scott is a hockey player at the same time he's a
human being and we should be aware of that fact. But in my opinion the NHL got
it right when they announced that they would allow Scott to captain the
all-star team even with him playing in the NHL.
John Scott in no way earned this trip to the
all-star and should have never been voted into it in the first place. But when
you open it up to the fans and ask them to vote you need honor that result no
matter who it puts into the game. For all of those people who believe that
allowing Scott to play makes the all-star game a joke, it's been a joke for
years. It isn't real hockey there’s no hitting, rarely any defense, and fancy
moves that probably won't work. But that's why its fun for the fans and
players, this isn't some major showcase that will affect anyone's overall
career or their draft position. It's a fun event for players who have been
selected and Scott was selected. With him in the game it actual makes it more
interesting and could drive up the rating for the game. I almost guarantee that
his shirt will be one of the highest selling ones of the entire event. It's
good for the game to have him here and for all those who don't think so, that's
too bad because it's only right that he is allowed to play. I wish Scott the
best of luck in Nashville and hopefully he can make a lasting memory for all of
us.
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