John Scott, fan vote as captain, gets MVP at All-Star Game

The NHL All-Star Game on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena was a gimmick, but a gimmick that worked because there was no longer a pretense that the players were participating in anything that resembled a real hockey game. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens and he is now with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Newfoundland.

The journeyman enforcer went from improbable All-Star to MVP of the league’s midseason showcase Sunday while captaining the Pacific Division to a 1-0 win in the championship game a 3-on-3 tournament.

From the onset, Scott was joined by his former teammates as Burns and Pavelski flanked him in the early round action. “Do you think this is something your kids would be proud of?” a league official asked him.

Just like being voted into the game to begin with, John Scott was voted the MVP of the All Star Game via a write-in vote.

“I’m sure he won over a lot of people, ” Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane said.

“It was a great experience and a lot of fun“, Rinne said.

Pacific Division goalie John Gibson (36), of the Anaheim Ducks, stops a shot against the Central Div …

As though to remind everyone of his pedigree, the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Scott, he of the 542 penalty minutes, also playfully toppled Kane, prompting the league’s scoring leader to drop the gloves in a mock bout.

The first two 20-minute games will be the semifinal round, with the Central Division all-stars playing the Pacific Division, and the Metropolitan Division all-stars playing the Atlantic Division.

For his first, Scott tucked in a pass at the crease from San Jose Sharks defenseman and friend Brent Burns to tie up the game against the Central Division at 1-1 during the first 10-minute period.

Scott admitted he wasn’t sure how the players would receive him when he arrived in Nashville. With $1 million to be split 11 ways among the winning team players, the championship game was nearly tight-checking and Corey Perry’s goal stood up as the victor.

“I thought it was outstanding”, Gallant said.

Until then, the final rosters for the All-Star Game can be found here and our predictions for the tournament are available here. Now, we all know the story so I won’t waste your time telling you the details all over again. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that he met with Scott and told the forward he was welcome to play.

“I think it’s the best possible outcome”, Scott said on NBC Sports after the game, having been hoisted on the shoulders of Western Conference team-mates.

The three-on-three idea grew out of this season’s change in regular-season overtime rules, in which rather than going four-on-four for five minutes, teams play three-on-three.

Later, the underdog was voted the Most Valuable Player at the All-Star Game.

Many pundits may have believed John Scott didn’t belong at the All-Star Game, but that didn’t stop the enforcer from giving them something to remember Sunday night in Nashville.