It is no secret to hockey followers that the NHL sometimes can’t get out of its own way. They are widely known to have inconsistent marketing, teams with attendance issues and jokingly spin a “Wheel of Justice” when doling out suspensions.
John Scott Checks Anton Cederholm – Photo by Jack Lima
By now, the whole world has heard the story about the All-Star Game fiasco involving John Scott. Depending who you believe, it seems it was a whole misunderstanding and commissioner Gary Bettman was always going to allow the forward to captain the Pacific squad.
The major problem was how silent the league was during his trade to Montreal and subsequent demotion to St. John in the American Hockey League. The NHL should have simply said on the day of the trade that Scott will be a member of the All-Star Game and that the league will decide shortly to which squad he will be assigned.
The fact that sustained rumors are coming out saying the league tried to get the Arizona Coyotes to wait to trade him – or even to not trade him – is scary. In no way, shape or form should anyone from the NHL be stepping into the fray to prevent a legitimate trade – regardless of the All-Star Game implications.
The fans used their index fingers and clicked the enforcer as not only a member, but the captain of the Pacific Division team. The game is a spectacle for the fans and already has become a gimmick – though entertaining – with the three-on-three tournament format.
There were no rules or regulations talking about players not on current NHL rosters, not in the top 50 scoring or any other skill-based allowances. Simply put, the vote is for the fans and they get to choose who appears in the exhibition.
Sadly, there were people who voted Scott in with malicious intent. There were throngs of folks on social media hoping he would get to play in the game only to embarrass himself. The Michigan Tech grad clearly is less skilled than most of his teammates, and some voters thought it would be fun to see him struggle with the talent around him.
There is no secret to what type of player the league has on its hands. In four years of collegiate hockey, Scott amassed 347 penalty minutes – following a 53-game junior season with 240 sin-bin minutes. Regardless, he has been good enough to play in nearly 300 NHL games.
Scott has been outspoken that he is looking forward to participating in the game. He knows how he got there and has not pretended to be anything more than he is as a player. Now let’s hope he gets his request and shows up wearing an IceCaps jersey.
Follow Adam on Twitter @Adam_PHN and you can always reach him at adam.minnick@prohockeynews.com
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