Top John Scott Moments From NHL All-Star Weekend
The NHL All-Star game is an annual gathering of the league's best and brightest stars. Between the Skills Competition and the actual game(s), the world's best players showcase what they do best.
This year, something special happened that we may never see again.
Tough guy John Scott was voted by the fans to be the captain of the Pacific Division All-Stars.
By all accounts, this campaign started as a joke. However, the NHL tried to take this opportunity away from him. The result was the entire hockey community rallying around and embracing Scott like never before.
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Scott participated in the Skills Competition, scored a couple goals in the All-Star Game and deservedly took home the MVP. Throughout the entire weekend, Scott had a smile from ear to ear. I can't remember someone enjoying the moment more than he did.
With that in mind, here's a look at some of the top John Scott moments from this weekend's All-Star events.
Hardest Shot Competition
After being traded to the Montreal Canadiens, Scott took the ice wearing his NHL All-Star jersey. Everyone else on the ice wore the colors of their respective NHL teams.
If you're new to the Skills Competition, the hardest shot is one of the featured events.
It was one of the evening's final events, but it was our first look at Scott as a competitor.
Prior to his first attempt, players and fans rose to their feet to show their appreciation.
(Skip to the 5:19 mark)
Scott, known more for his fighting skills, has a heck of a shot!
On his second attempt, he hit 95.9 MPH on the gun. Not too shabby.
Scott Scores 2 Beautiful Goals
This year's All-Star Game format changed to a mini tournament of 3-on-3 games. Many wondered if Scott would be able to keep up with the pace.
Scott put any doubt to rest almost immediately.
It took Scott a mere 47 seconds to put his stamp on the competition – finishing off a feed from Brent Burns to tie the game 1-1.
His reaction is priceless. His teammates' reactions are priceless – just complete joy. The fans gave him another standing ovation - continuing the theme of the weekend.
Scott wasn't done lighting the lamp either.
With his team leading 4-3 over the heavily favored Central Division, Scott was left alone in the neutral zone. Burns picked up the puck behind his own net and fired a strike to send Scott in on a breakaway.
Shielding off a defender, Scott ripped a laser by Devan Dubnyk.
The goal prompted another huge smile and a massive hug from Burns.
Patrick Kane & Scott "Fight"
Earlier in his career, John Scott played alongside Patrick Kane in Chicago. On Sunday, the former teammates were enemies.
The Pacific Division held a slim 3-2 lead with time winding down in the first half of their game. Scott dumped Kane in the neutral zone, which prompted a loud roar from the Nashville fans.
Moments later, Kane tied the game and wanted a piece of Scott.
Rather than celebrating his goal, Kane skated after Scott and the two dropped the gloves. The two locked up and playfully wrestled for a few moments.
The crowd completely lost their mind as both players tapped each other on the helmet and skated away beaming. Even the linesman that "broke up" the fight seemed to enjoy the show.
John Scott Wins MVP
The final matchup between the Pacific and Atlantic came down to the wire. In the end, Corey Perry scored the lone goal as the Pacific held on for a 1-0 win.
As the game wound down, the crowd started chanting "MVP!" whenever Scott stepped onto the ice.
Word from journalists inside the press box indicated that the NHL had not selected Scott to be on the ballot for MVP voting.
The news spread like wildfire on Twitter with #VoteMVPScott flooding everyone's feeds.
Scott had to be the MVP of this event. After the NHL did all it could to keep him out of the game, Scott showed up and owned it. Here's the thing, he deserved to be considered for the MVP award after scoring two goals.
It seemed like it was one final shot from the NHL, but the fans would have none of it. Many of the official team accounts around the league tweeted their support of Scott for MVP too!
Yeah, he has our vote too.#VoteMVPScott
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 1, 2016
With the amount of public support, could you imagine the outcome had the NHL given it to anyone else?
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is used to getting booed almost everywhere he goes, but this would have been an entirely new level.
Again, the crowd roared when Scott was announced as the MVP by write-in vote. He even genuinely looks surprised at hearing his name called.
As great as it was seeing Scott win the award, the best part of that video comes a little later.
For winning the tournament, the Pacific Division team was awarded $1 million. As captain, Scott was tasked with accepting the giant check from none other than Bettman.
It's one of the most hilariously awkward moments in recent history.
The size difference alone between Scott and Bettman is comical. Bettman, representing those who didn't want Scott in the game in the first place, handed him a check for $1 million. It's brilliant.
I'd love to know what was said between the two. Maybe we'll get lucky and the audio will get released someday.
Carried On Shoulders By Teammates
In the postgame celebration, Scott was doing an interview with NBCSN's Pierre McGuire.
Out of nowhere, several of his teammates hoisted him up on their shoulders. First of all, I don't know how they lifted someone that big, but they did it.
We've seen countless stories about NHL players being selfless human beings. Whether it's donating their time after practice or in the community, hockey players tend to "get it."
Lifting Scott on their shoulders is just another example.
Here's a group of guys making more money than Scott has probably ever seen. They completely embraced him as one of their own – because he is.
Scott may have made a name for himself by protecting teammates, but the roles were reversed on Sunday.
They knew it was his moment and they did everything they could to help him enjoy it. It was classy and heartwarming at the same time.
In an article posted on The Players' Tribune, Scott said a league representative asked him if his kids would be proud of him playing in the game.
I'd say he has nothing to worry about in that department.
How he handled himself throughout this entire ordeal, not to mention how he performed in the event, is something we can all be proud of.
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