Chants of “MVP, MVP” rained down onto the ice for 33-year-old John Scott at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Sunday. A big, goofy smile flashed across his face — one that seemingly was fixed on the journeyman enforcer throughout the NHL All-Star Game.
Scott isn’t a prototypical all-star. The 6-foot-8, 275-pound bruiser has recorded just one assist on the season in 11 games played. But on this night, he scored two goals in the 3-on-3 tournament, got in a “fight” with Blackhawks star Patrick Kane and .
For one night, Scott became the king of the National Hockey League. For one night, he was the star among stars. And it almost didn’t even happen.
It played out like the script for an underdog sports movie, but one that was just too exaggerated to be believed. Scott, who has just five goals in 285 career NHL games, became the focus of an Internet campaign to get him voted as a starter for the ASG.
What may have started as a joke quickly became reality as Scott vaulted up the rankings and became the leading vote-getter for the annual exhibition game.
But just as soon as he had won the vote, his stranger-than-fiction story almost ended as quickly as its meteoric rise. He was traded from Arizona to Montreal and was sent down to the minors. The move — as some speculated as one to keep him out of the game — could have made him ineligible to play.
In , he recounted a teammate texting him about how he was 30th in the vote and then added: “They’ll never let you play, John. They’re never going to let you be there.
“Not a guy like you.”
Thankfully, the league ultimately allowed Scott to play in the game, naming him the captain of the Pacific Division squad. And he shined in his 15 minutes of fame.
All-star games have long been popularity contests. Whether or not Scott deserved a place on the team for his merits on the ice is irrelevant. The debate on the game’s voting should be left for another day.
Scott made the all-star game relevant. It was fun and lighthearted. The sheer enjoyment that he exuded was infectious, both to players and fans alike, and it leaves a feelgood memory that Hollywood couldn’t have scripted any better.
“I never in a million years would have believed I was in an all-star game and have the fans get behind me like that,” he said during the post-game press conference. “And to score two goals in a game. You can’t put into words.
“You can’t write this stuff.”
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Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @joenguyen
