Fan favorite Scott gets shot to star, and does

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — He scored twice. His team won. He was named the Most Valuable Player, got hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates, was handed the keys to a van and, oh yeah, picked up $90,000 for a couple hours' work.

Was it a good to be John Scott on Sunday? You bet it was.

The 6-foot-8-inch forward and captain of the Pacific Division who was initially voted into the NHL All-Star Game by the fans, then was traded and demoted to the minors and not allowed to play only to be returned to the lineup, had the kind of day of which every hockey player dreams. He even was the top trending topic on Twitter for a while Sunday.

"I don't think you can top this," said Scott, whose Pacific Division All-Stars defeated the Atlantic Division 1-0 in the championship game of the All-Star Game's 3-on-3 tournament in front of an announced sellout crowd of 17,600 at Bridgestone Arena. "It's been unbelievable. You can't write this stuff."

Actually, Hollywood does write this sort of stuff all the time. But to see it happen is something those who were there as well as those watching on NBC Spots Network will remember forever.

He had played 11 games with Arizona this season before he was traded to Montreal and sent to the minors. He was not allowed to play before the NHL relented and let him back in a couple of days ago.

Scott had never played in a 3-on-3 situation prior to Sunday. But he seemed at home playing on the wide-open ice. Scott scored twice in the Pacific's 9-6 win over the Central to get his team into the championship game. His second goal was pretty, finding the top corner from a tough angle. It showed that while he may be an enforcer, heisn't a goon without skills. Players from both teams were impressed by what Scott did out there playing with the NHL's best.

"It was great that everyone got to see Johnny's ability and his skill," said San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns. "He's a funny guy, an intellectual guy. His second goal showed the skill he has. That was an unbelievable goal."

Montreal's P.K. Subban, who could find himself as Scott's teammate in the future (Scott is currently assigned to the Canadiens' American Hockey League farm team in St. John's, Newfoundland), said, "We're happy for him. He played well. He earned it."

Scott admitted he wasn't sure how the players would receive him when he arrived in Nashville. But he quickly found out he was one of the boys.

"It was nothing but good words from the guys," he said. "That meant a lot to me to be accepted by everyone the way I was."

Originally, he wasn't a candidate for MVP honors as the NHL had not made him one of the three finalists. But with the crowd chanting "MVP" whenever he was on the ice and voting for him on Twitter, Scott once again was the people's choice. They had showered him with love from the moment he got to Music City and the fans were with Scott until the very end.

The NHL, which once again found itself in an awkward position, had no option but to accept him as MVP. Scott found himself hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates when he was announced as the MVP and he got a little nervous when they picked him up.

"I'm 275 pounds and I was afraid they were going to drop me," he said. "Burnsie (Burns) is such a spaz."

He also got to be his true self on the ice Sunday. He leveled Chicago's Patrick Kane with a body check, something that is usually frowned upon at the All-Star Game. And after Kane retaliated by scoring following the hit, he skated up to Scott, dropped his gloves and challenged him to a fight.

Well, not a real fight anyway.

"We've wrestled around before and he said, 'Let's go,' and that was pretty much it," Scott said. "I didn't mean to hit him with that check but he was coming at me from an angle I couldn't avoid so I went through with it."

Scott's wife is due with twins in the next few days, so he has that to look forward to and that new van he won will undoubtedly come in handy (he also has two daughters). As for Scott's hockey career, he hopes something good will come from his performance Sunday and he can get back into the NHL at some point this season, if not with the Canadiens, then with some other team.

"I don't know if it changes my career but I hope it opens some doors," he said. "This was the coolest thing I've done in hockey for sure."

— Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.