John Scott should be at the NHL All-Star Game. Anything else would be a disgrace and bring shame on the NHL.
A decision on Scott’s status hasn’t been made official since he was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens last week after he was voted by the fans to serve as the team captain of the Pacific Division All-Star team. What is known is that both the Arizona Coyotes and the NHL asked Scott to step down and remove his position as the captain of the Pacific Division.
Scott refused. The league, of course, probably doesn’t want a player that has played in 11 NHL games this year, is frequently a healthy scratch and bounces between the NHL and the AHL, as one of the All-Star captains. And we can infer that because Scott is no longer in the Pacific Division, the NHL has an easy out.
There are several problems with that.
To start off, it’s completely disrespectful to the fans that voted for Scott.
Sure, you can say that some Internet trolls stuffed the ballots as a practical joke. And maybe some of the fans that voted for Scott have no vested interest in the All-Star Game. But have you considered why Scott was selected as the goat and the fans' representative in the first place?
It might be because of his personality.
Scott is a 6-foot-8, 260-pounder who is lucky to skate five minutes a night, if he’s even on that night’s roster. He’s scored five total goals in his career, but has amassed 542 penalty minutes. He’s built this cult-like following because he’s part of a dying breed: A modern-day goon.
Off the ice, he wears T-shirts with his own face on them. He poses for photos with his adorable daughter. He is often seen laughing and chumming it up in the locker room.
Why wouldn’t the NHL take advantage of this amusing situation?
The All-Star Game certainly isn’t about hockey. If the NHL doesn’t want to include Scott because of some belief that it will disrespect the game, that is a farce. The NHL has seemingly continued to tweak the event itself to try to maintain public interest. Its most recent efforts have reduced the game to a 3-on-3 tournament between divisions, essentially turning the event itself into a larger sideshow than it already is.
Think about all of your recent memories of All-Star weekend. What comes to mind?
For myself, it was Alexander Ovechkin’s draft-day antics last year, where he was desperately trying to get picked last so he could win a car to donate to the American Special Hockey Association. Or how about when Jakub Voracek grabbed Johnny Gaudreau in the breakaway challenge last year, and treated him like a little kid? Or the most famous event of all: Phil Kessel awkwardly getting picked last in the 2011 All-Star Game while Ovechkin snapped pictures of him in his clear embarrassment.
Does anyone actually care about the game itself? Does anyone remember Jonathan Tavares tied the all-time record for most goals in a single game last year with four? Does anyone actually care about Team Toews and Team Foligno setting the record for the most goals scored in an All-Star Game with 29 total? Can a hockey game that has 29 total goals be considered a game at all?
The All-Star Game is all about having fun. It’s all about entertaining the fans and celebrating the personalities across the League.
That’s the way it should be. The game doesn’t determine who gets home-field advantage like the MLB All-Star Game. For the most part, the event features some of the best players in the world acting like goofballs, and that’s entertaining for the fans.
And if those same fans want to be entertained by watching Scott participate in the breakaway challenge, why not? Who is the NHL to tell fans who they should and shouldn’t be entertained by? The league itself opened the door for this by allowing a fan vote.
If the NHL puts its skate down to squash this, it is simply unfair. Scott had no control over this situation, and he handled it with absolute respect. He didn’t campaign for his captaincy, he basically just said, "sure, I’ll participate," because who wouldn’t if they were given the opportunity?
It’s a fun way for Scott to improve his brand and embrace that ridiculous following. And the winning team of the 3-on-3 tournament gets to split $1 million between the 11 rostered players. That’s a little more than $90,000 for each player. Sure, for a guy like Corey Perry, who is making $9 million this year, that’s just a nice little gesture. But for a guy like Scott, who is making $575,000 this year, that’s a pretty hefty bonus, and can lighten the load on a guy who is about to add twins to his family.
Give the people what they want and what they voted for. Allow Scott to stomp his way through the All-Star Game. Market his inclusion. Make the event enjoyable for all involved.
If the NHL is so upset by this, it should simply change the fan voting procedure for the 2017 All-Star Game.
But let’s just chalk this one up as a silly mishap, and let Scott and his fans have some fun.
Tommy Chalk writes about the NHL and NFL for FOX Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_Chalk
