Supplied – ResolutePoint: Forget about his skill level, the fans want John Scott in the game
Let’s all take a moment to agree that the thought of John Scott leading a team on to the ice during all-star weekend with a ‘C’ sewn to his chest is absolutely hilarious.
It’s also something that would have many of the all-time great players and Hall of Famers of our sport questioning the integrity of the all-star game, and rightfully so. But the fact of the matter is that the All-Star game today is not what it once was. These days nobody cares whether they win or lose. I mean how can you take it seriously when you’re being interviewed and receiving a pass at the same time? Keep in mind this is now a game that some of the chosen players find loopholes to actually opt out of playing. Sidney Crosby has participated just once in his 10-year career and will miss it again this year, and even Jaromir Jagr publicly admitted that he is “too old” and would prefer to take the week off. Plus the simple rule that every NHL team must be represented by at least one player means that we’re not seeing the 44 best players in the NHL anyway.
Surely Atlantic division fans would like to see Pavel Datsyuk or Jack Eichel comprise their offence, but no the Maple Leafs need a guy, so suit up Leo Komorov! In Arizona, it’s obvious that rookie sensation Max Domi or defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson would fit in better with the all-star crowd, but without a player in the top 40 of NHL scoring why not hand the baton to your minor league team’s enforcer if the fans get a kick out of it. And that’s the bottom line after all.
Though the format, intensity, and consistently ugly jerseys have changed drastically over the years, the one thing that stays true is that All-Star weekend is for the fans. Back in the day the draw was to see the best players gather in one city for a couple days. Now, if they wish to see a 6’8” 270 pound tough guy try to dangle the puck between Shea Weber’s skates only to trip over the blue line then so be it, we’ll all have fun watching him try.
Whether you’re in favour of it or not, enough people decided they wanted to see an unworthy player at the all-star game for a change, and for a mid-season spectacle that is desperate for a boost in interest, this will add a brand new level of intrigue to the game that has never been there before. And for that, John Scott, you have my vote. — Dan Guild
Counterpoint: This is a joke, and everyone’s laughing at John Scott, not with him
On the surface, this appears to be a cute little story about fans rallying behind a lovable, working class grinder who, after paying his dues in the league for years, is rewarded with an appearance in the league’s All-Star game that we can all cherish for the rest of our lives. But it isn’t. This is about grabbing someone that nobody really has any sentimental attachment to as a player or an individual and turning them into circus act.
I mean, who cares, right? It’s the All-Star game. It’s a joke. It should be a spectacle, and the players don’t care enough to make it exciting. The fans deserve to do something to make this travesty of a mid-season classic somewhat worthwhile, even if it involves pointing and laughing and the worst hockey player employed in the league, right?
Yeah, sure, but let’s just be honest about it. Let’s not pretend we’re rewarding John Scott the unanimously-chosen fan favourite, let’s be honest and openly acknowledge that we want to sit there and laugh at John Scott the hilariously bad hockey player get completely outclassed by the likes of Patrick Kane, Erik Karlsson, and Tyler Seguin in a three-on-three tournament.
If you want to tune into this game for the sole reason of watching somebody without much skill at hockey get embarrassed over and over again, you’re a jackass. You’re the type of person that would vote for the nerd in high school to be prom king, not because you secretly knew they grew up dealing with a lot of bullshit and this would be a nice way for them to wrap up their teenage years, but because you wanted to snicker at the idea of them actually being the legendary prom king standing there next to the queen.
I don’t know John Scott personally, and I’m guessing he’ll take this whole thing in stride considering he’s accepted and embraced the nomination, but to me this just reeks of finding comedy through the act of bullying, and we shouldn’t pretend it’s anything more than that. All that this situation accomplished is that it further reminds the world that the NHL’s All-Star game is awful, and that our sense of humour as a society is even worse. — Cam Lewis
This is a terrible article with little consideration for the player at all. I think there are way too many assumptions. Putting down someone who has accomplished something you, and many of us, never will by playing in the NHL doesn’t deserve such harsh criticism. Whether he’s an “all-star” or not is just a matter of opinion. People value very different qualities in the athletes they support and look up to.