National Hockey League notes: Scott hopes All-Star game will lift career

Teammates lifted him on their shoulders while fans chanted “MVP!” and then Scott was announced as the MVP and presented with a Honda Pilot Touring SUV.

Unlikely NHL All-Star John Scott hams it up after scoring a goal…

Even though the entire saga had its share of critics and there was some doubt that he wouldn’t even be eligible due to a trade two weeks before the game, and even though he isn’t your traditional “All-Star” kind of player, Scott was most certainly the star of the weekend. Also prior to the trade, the Coyotes reportedly tried to get him to back out of the game, something that Scott refused.

Maybe that’s what happens when you put an actual cash prize ($90,000 for each player on the winning team) on the table.

I was surprised at the low scoring championship game but the goalies for both teams came up with numerous great saves on clean breakaways and two on one rushes.

Scott’s selection to the All-Star Game had the league miffed, but it had fans entertained. Scott was the captain of the Pacific Division team and played in the same threesome with Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns, his former teammates while with the Sharks. He really doesn’t bring anything to the table but you had to feel good for him after everything he’s been through and the pressure he faced from the National Hockey League to back out of the game.

The crowd filled with plenty of Nashville Predators’ fans even gave a warm welcome to former coach Barry Trotz, now leading the Washington Capitals. The fans cheered him on, his peers encouraged him, and, in perhaps a very pre-planned way, the Pacific division won the tournament, making John Scott the flawless candidate for MVP. I was having a blast and I was just watching it on TV.

National Hockey League players may not admit it publicly, but they don’t always love going to All-Star weekends and missing the chance for several days of rest and relaxation before the looming sprint to the playoffs. “You guys have blown me away”, Scott said to the fans. (When he was an All-Star in 2000, he had less than 60 games at the National Hockey League level and had scored five goals). That’s when they lost me.

The least likely All-Star was voted the most valuable player of the NHL’s first venture into three-on-three play at its midseason showcase, proving that the worst intentions can sometimes have an unimaginably good outcome.

Teams representing the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions faced off in the first 20-minute, three-on-three game, and they were tentative while they figured out how to pace themselves.

“You can’t write this stuff”, he said Sunday night after yet another reporter asked about yet another moment in his NHL All-Star experience.

The game was held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Corey Schneider of New Jersey, Nashville’s own Pekka Rinne, Bishop and Anaheim’s John Gibson all had assists. I thought they were going to drop me on my head. “I think it fits well…”

The 3-on-3 All-Star format seemed to work the best.

As for the movie, Scott said he was aware of the interest. And even though it didn’t have the same pace as the 3-on-3 hockey we have seen during the regular season in overtime, it was still better than any of the recent All-Star games the NHL has put on display.