Scott, known primarily for being one of the last enforcers in a league where fighting is in decline, scored two goals on Sunday to lead the Pacific Division to victory at the 3-on-3 all-star tournament in Nashville.
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Fans at Bridgestone Arena booed the MVP options and yelled for Scott, who was presented a Honda Pilot Touring SUV.
The 33-year-old quickly became a fan-favorite after rumors surfaced that the National Hockey League tried to push Scott out of the game. National Hockey League officials apparently feared ridicule to honour a player with a mere five goals in 285 games with six teams and a recent trade to a seventh, the Montreal Canadiens, that sent him to his current club, the developmental St. John’s IceCaps in distant Newfoundland.
Had it not been for Scott, though, Vancouver Canucks left winger Daniel Sedin easily should have been the All-Star Game MVP.
Fan favorite John Scott was voted tournament MVP to cap off the fesitivities in fine fashion.
“Well, I didn’t mean to hit him”, Scott explained after the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Scott was instrumental in the Pacific division’s first win, scoring two goals which is nearly half of the number of goals he’s scored in his career.
Atlantic edged Metropolitan Division 4-3 in their semi-final, but the final saw the goalies shine, with John Gibson and Jonathan Quick combining for a 17-save shutout.
“I just kind of got sick and exhausted of reading articles that just portrayed me as a slow-footed goon who just can’t play and is here as a joke”, he said.
So, of course, Scott went out and scored the first goal for his Pacific side.
Said Luongo: “He deserves it, popped in a couple in the first game”.
Scott’s fellow competitors couldn’t say enough positive things about him, praising everything from his moves on the ice to the reception he earned from the crowd.
Both Danielle and John Scott have said they were surprised and excited by the campaign to get him into the All-Star Game – and that they’re happy and relieved he was finally deemed eligible to play. Scott scored twice in the Pacific’s 9-6 win over the Central to get his team into the championship game.
“You can’t put it into words, ” Scott said after being hoisted onto the shoulders of the likes of Brent Burns, Taylor Hall and Joe Pavelski. There were still plenty of chances each way, but the intensity felt more like an actual game than any previous year when the game was 5-on-5. “You can’t write this stuff”, Scott said in a post-game interview with pregnant wife and two daughters nearby and watching.
The 2016 NHL All Star Game was one of the more entertaining mid-season contests in recent history.
In the championship period, Roberto Luongo stopped all 12 shots he faced in the opening 10 minutes before handing things over to Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop.
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Burns assisted on the winning goal by Anaheim s Corey Perry against the Atlantic Division, and also had three points in the semifinals.
