Dallas Stars Could Use A Guy Like John Scott
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars are back from the All-Star Break and hopefully better than ever. But during the All-Star Weekend, one thing was made clear: the Stars could use a guy like John Scott on their team. Heck, so could every other team.
The Dallas Stars have all reunited in DFW and are just about set to get the final half of the season underway. The majority of the team had the week off to rest and recharge, while superstars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin took part in the NHL’s All-Star Weekend with head coach Lindy Ruff in Nashville, TN.
The NHL successfully wrapped up their annual All-Star Weekend on Sunday evening. The weekend was full of new experiments and scenarios, and it looks as though they all paid off.
For the first time ever, the NHL All-Star Game turned into three separate games. The first preliminary games were between the divisions of each conference: Atlantic vs. Metropolitan and Central vs. Pacific.
The final game was between the winners of each of the previous games, with the overall winner walking away with one million dollars. The Pacific ended up going all the way, defeating the Atlantic in the final round by a score of 1-0.
The other games were filled with opulent scoring and plenty of top-tier chances for all teams. As a result, the event was one of the most followed All-Star games in a long time and got many people excited to actually sit down and watch the fast-paced games.
But that was not the only reason a good majority of the hockey community and beyond tuned in. Another big part responsible for the increased viewership was the surprising captain of the Pacific Division, John Scott.
The NHL offered fans the chance to vote in one player from each division over the later parts of December and into January up until the ASG. While the other ten members of each team were selected by the NHL, deciding the captain of each squad was completely in the hands of the fans. Nothing could go out of the ordinary, right?
Well, things did go a bit differently than most might have expected. While Patrick Kane (Central), Alexander Ovechkin (Metropolitan), and Jaromir Jagr (Atlantic) are all well known names and logical choices for the ASG, the Pacific Division boasted a rather unknown name. John Scott, the former Arizona Coyotes winger/defender, was voted into the ASG, sparking plenty of debate and controversy.
To put things into perspective, Scott has a cap hit and salary of $575,000 at the age of 33. He has played for six different organizations in his eight-year NHL career, tallying a total of 11 points (5-6-11) over the span.
In other words, he’s not your everyday Benn or Kane. He’s not even your everyday Ales Hemsky. Scott’s main role when he is on the ice is to use his 6-8, 260 lb. frame to intimidate opponents.
Amid all the baseline controversy, something even more controversial happened on January 15th when the Coyotes traded Scott to the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that literally did nothing besides create more confusion.
Montreal assigned Scott to the minors with the All-Star Game less than two weeks away and it seemed like nothing else could go wrong. The enforcer assumed a week of debating and waiting to see what the NHL was going to do. Finally, it was decided that Scott would represent the Pacific Division in the games and remain the captain.
Scott wrote a story based on his perspective for The Players’ Tribune, a website for players to write their own personal testimonies and share it with the world. If you haven’t read it, you can click here and check it out. You won’t be sorry, either. It might be the best and most moving thing you read all month. Click here to check it out.
So this weekend ended up slowly turning into “The John Scott Show,” and for good reason as well. It was excellent to see the entire hockey community rally around a guy like Scott, especially after all he’s been through and been forced to deal with in the past half month.
Scott did not disappoint either. He scored two goals in the two games he competed in while leading his team to victory and being named MVP of the tournament.
Overall, Scott’s situation brought everyone around him and gave them an idea to rally around.
The Dallas Stars could really use a guy like that. While they do have plenty of players with different stories, none settle into the heart like Scott’s does. Of course the Stars fan base is intact and sitting pretty at this point, but having a guy like Scott would only further enhance the bond.
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Of course, it would be strange for GM Jim Nill to aim for a trade involving Scott. But the Dallas Stars could definitely use a guy like that. Any team would be lucky to have him. His story is what drives players, coaches, and fans to be as supportive and enthusiastic as they can. And his enforcing skills aren’t half bad either.
But John Scott could really help boost the motivation of the Dallas Stars. Not saying it will happen, but it couldn’t hurt to add a guy with that kind of heart to your bench.
Next: February 2016 Could Make Or Break The Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars kick off a big February slate tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets. Make sure to check back to Blackout Dallas for coverage of the game tomorrow morning.