Storyline: The NHL has implemented a new rule for fan voting. It’s The John Scott Rule, which disqualifies players from being named All-Star captains if they’re injured or sent to the American Hockey League.
What evidence shows that NHL fans and the NHL need to be more connected? How about voting for the NHL All-Star Game? We know that the league has made huge strides in the past twenty years by reaching a much larger audience and creating more awareness for the sport of ice hockey.
Courtesy: Pure Hockey Blog
Sometimes the best way to connect is to have fans participate directly in league events. But at certain times what the fans want is different from what the NHL believes is best. A big example is the perception that the NHL wants to remove or minimize on-ice physical play and fighting.
So things came to a head when the NHL Fan Ballot went totally away from the NHL mantra that fans want the physical play and fighting out of the game. And that’s the issue of the episode I’ll describe here.
In 2016, one NHL player was given the unexpected honor and chance of a lifetime: fans voted John Scott captain of the Pacific Division All-Stars. But that outcome brought panic to the NHL and created a difficult decision for the NHL and for Scott. Should he seize the opportunity to represent the fans, team, and family? Will the NHL respect the wishes of the fans and embrace the results? For Scott, this could be the biggest fight of his career–and it would be against the NHL machine, not an opponent on the ice.
Scott was voted for by fans even though his selection went against the grain of what the NHL has promoted. For some it was viewed as fans snubbing their noses at the direction the NHL has been pushing since the lockout of 2012-2013.
Courtesy: Deadline
Some speculate that Scott was the victim of NHL politics, and on the surface it certainly looks that way. The Coyotes, formerly run by the NHL, surprisingly traded Scott to the Montreal Canadiens before the All Star Game. He was to report to the Canadiens farm team, the St. John’s IceCaps. This appeared to be in knee-jerk response by the League-a response to being rebuffed by the fans.
Scott was now closer to Iceland than to his former team in Arizona.
Yes, Scott has a special set of skills. But intimidation, body checking, cheerleading, bench doorman, and pugilism are not skills that are promoted at an NHL All-Star Game. While he has played forward and defence, it’s those other skills that define him. The NHL has made a distinct decision to move away from the physical side of hockey and to promote the skill and speed of the game instead.
Lets not kid ourselves, any player that plays even one game in the NHL has a set of skills that sets him far above the majority of hockey players in the world. To be in “The Show” takes a level of dedication and sacrifice some of the most talented hockey players may not possess.
Courtesy: The Hockey Writers
But is it possible to look at this situation from a different perspective? To some it may seem patently absurd to pick Scott to be in an All-Star game over players with longer and more illustrious careers. And more skilled players represent what the NHL promotes.
Yet the fans voted for Scott, so the NHL knew it had to tread lightly. The League ask him to gracefully bow out of the game. He said “No!” That set in motion questionable moves.
Flash forward. We find ourselves at the 2015-2016 NHL All-Star Game. The NHL put on one of the best All-Star weekends ever. And Captain Scott looked like a kid in a candy shop as evidenced by this video.
But, in the end, Scott was a casualty of a war between the NHL and what the fans wanted. Scott’s option of playing in the NHL ended when he made the decision to stand his ground and participate in the All-Star game. He was named MVP of the 2016 NHL All-Star game after scoring 2 goals. He was not included in the NHL offered-vote for NHL All-Star MVP, but the outcry again persuaded the NHL to listen to the fans again.
Courtesy: Twitter
Scott retired after playing one game with the Montreal Canadiens–a game in which he had 3 shots, 7 hits, and 2 penalty minutes. He was offered the option of returning to the minor league team or going home for the remainder of the season. He opted to go home and spend the rest of the season with his family.
In what I believe to be a classy move, Scott’s helmet now sits at the Hockey Hall of Fame. It may signify the end of an era. To me it boldly represents the fighting spirit of hockey players and the fans from around the world!
The NHL has implemented a new rule for fan voting. It’s The John Scott Rule, which disqualifies players from being named All-Star captains if they’re injured or sent to the American Hockey League.
@StirlingWright
