Bettman says Scott ‘welcome’ at all-star game

This weekend marks Jagr’s 10th All-Star Game appearance.

“Against the Detroit Red Wings, of all teams”, Scott wrote in his piece on The Players’ Tribune website.

It’s worth noting that last week, appearing at the Sharks’ 25th anniversary celebration at SAP Center, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: “The fans spoke in large numbers for the process and he’s going to be joining us in Nashville”. The All Star game is scheduled to be played Sunday, Jan. 31.

It was a big moment for a big man, and it nearly didn’t happen. Right now, NHL All Star MVP odds have Scott is set as the +400 favourite. Bettman told The Associated Press that he had a nice chat with Scott on Thursday night. “You go in the locker room everyones got the National Hockey League logo on their helmet. Well, the National Hockey League website has made marshmallow mashed potatoes out of them, as independent stats analysts vanished into the dark embrace of front offices. It’s always there (that) you’re not in the National Hockey League anymore.

When asked what will be next for him, he exclaimed, “I’m going back to Newfoundland!” As much as he enjoys All-Star weekend, he said he was OK with the organization’s decision to hold him out.

“I was nervous to be around these superstars”, said Scott, who will compete in the hardest shot competition on Saturday. “It’s a happy place and we hope that just sheds right through the families that will be coming here for years and years to come and that it will spread wonderful things in the city of Nashville”.

Scott said he was glad to hear that from Bettman because there was a time he really wasn’t sure the league felt that way.

If John Scott had any reservations about playing in the NHL All-Star Game, they quickly disappeared upon arriving to Nashville this week.

“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”, he added. Last season, Latvian fans rallied the Internet to vote native son and Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons into the game.

The NHL has been accused of trying to pressure a player unexpectedly voted into its All-Star game into withdrawing from the match.

“I want to take a picture of you guys”, Scott said Friday at Bridgestone Arena.

Okay, so maybe liking the All-Star Game isn’t necessarily the cool thing to do.

“I’ve gotten a lot of text messages and calls from people I’ve never even met”, Scott said. “You know how you get respect in this league is by winning and they’re winning, and they look like they’re having fun”. Fighting? It’s down, and disappearing, which is a good thing for brains but a bad thing for people who like to watch the John Scotts of the world bash other people’s brains.

At the same time, Jagr said he does not feel like a typical 43-year-old. “John is just a great guy, a straight shooter”. But if anyone thinks Backstrom will change who he is because of the experience, they’d be wrong. “I hope they have fun with it and kind of get behind me a little bit”. I think he’s going to be the most popular player on the ice….

“I’ll get a hat trick and everyone will be like, ‘Oh wow'”.

Dallas forward Jamie Benn said the solution is simple. If everybody plays as well as they’re capable of playing, then we’ll be in the playoffs.

“I wanted to stack the deck and put my eggs in as many baskets as I could and win those prizes, ” Scott joked.

The 33-year-old Scott has two daughters, and his wife is expecting twins within the next couple weeks.

In The Players’ Tribune essay, Scott said that an National Hockey League official had pressured him to pull out of the competition because his selection had started as a prank. That incident only strengthened his resolve to play Sunday.