The fans have spoken and they have chosen John Scott.
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The All-Star game might lag behind some of the NHL’s other major events, but this year’s offering in Nashville, Tennessee may yet deliver a format worth watching. Ronnie Whitfield, 58, the day manager at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge across the street, said with a laugh his staff will be busy this weekend. I have a ton of respect for guys like him. It’s definitely odd. It’s like, ‘you’re not in the National Hockey League anymore’. “But, if not, I’m not going to waste any energy on it”. Thomas provided NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Predators Chairman Tom Cigarran and a few All-Stars with a tour of the facility.
If you need evidence, just check out this quote from Backstrom via the Associated Press’s Steve Whyno. Were happy hes here.
Mostly, he seemed to be having a good time with it, a stance the league itself also has embraced, perhaps belatedly, after fan voting landed a lumbering player mostly known for his fighting skills among the league’s elite talent at NHL All-Star Weekend.
So when they asked me to make a statement – nudging the fan vote in another direction and denouncing the John Scott “movement” – I did it without hesitation. The Hawks were without their top center for a game that mattered, but that’s not enough for the National Hockey League, no matter that the Hawks’ team doctor said he remains symptomatic.
“The last 2 1/2 weeks have been tough on me and my family”.
And all eyes will be on John Scott, the 6-foot-8 enforcer fans voted as Pacific Division Captain before he was traded by Arizona to Montreal and sent to the minors. League officials realized that they had something going for them so they chose to make it the entire format for this year’s NHL All-Star Game. It’s just a guy who is like brain dead and just goes out there and fights and doesn’t really know how to play hockey.
Bettman says he had a nice chat with Scott on Thursday night and he’s more than welcome at the All-Star Game. In 2008, he was named to the six-player IIHF Centennial team, naming a single line of the best players in the history of the game. We’ve got a lot of young guys in our dressing room and spending a lot of time with them … “I’m still kind of a fan at heart when I meet these guys”.
Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano talks with reporters during NHL hockey All-Star game media day Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
“He did a great job of presenting himself to the league and being able to come to the game”, said South Buffalo native Patrick Kane, a former teammate of Scott’s in Chicago.
“He didn’t do anything wrong”, Jagr said. They also went with four teams instead of two, with each division getting a squad. It was kind of cool when he said, ‘No, I’m coming.’ I like that. “But”, he added, “I think it’s a good thing for the game”. Shit, I hope he scores two.
“Nicky is the quietest superstar in the league”, Capitals forward Brooks Laich said. This opens the door to abuse and Latvian fans barged through last season and voted Zemgus Girgensons to the starting lineup. He said when he and the Islanders’ John Tavares met Friday to dole out assignments for Saturday’s skills competition, Jagr opted for none of the above. “They will take it for what it is”, Scott said.
I wanted to stack the deck and put my eggs in as many baskets as I could and win those prizes, Scott joked.
That incident only strengthened his resolve to play Sunday.
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The festivities then continued into the evening as the grand opening ceremony at Bridgestone Winter Park officially kicked off the weekend, complete with a live concert from country music stars Big & Rich. “It’s obviously an anomaly”. “I’m not the typical All-Star, and it’s probably not going to happen again”.
