Monday, January 18, 2016

Sabres Fans Should Be Unsurprised by John Scott's Less Than All-Star Treatment

By Marc Deschamps 

John Scott - Disposable Player (via Yahoo!)
John Scott likely won't be allowed to play in the NHL All-Star Game. Normally, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Scott excluded from the game. After all, it's intended to be a spotlight on the best of the best, and the former enforcer for the Buffalo Sabres has never been much to write home about. 

This time is different, however. Scott won a fan vote the league conducted, and should have been entered into the game. Instead, the NHL apparently asked Scott to decline the invitation. When he opted not to, Scott conveniently found himself traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens and sent down to the minors, which may have disqualified him from eligibility. Another player from the Coyotes will probably fill his place in the game as a result.

During his time with the Sabres, Scott fulfilled the type of antagonistic role once served by players such as Rob Ray or Andrew Peters. His most memorable moment with the team likely occurred during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he scored his first and only goal for Buffalo. While many fans and pundits seem shocked by Scott's mistreatment by the league, it should come as little surprise to Sabres fans. During his tenure with the team, he was frequently abused by commentators on the NHL's payroll, particularly when the Sabres would play national games.

"I don't know what he's doing in the league," said Mike Milbury before a 2013 game between the Sabres and Bruins. Milbury went on to call Scott "a goon" and "an embarrassment" to the NHL.

Throughout his time with the team, John Scott and then Sabres coach Ted Nolan often questioned the frequency and harshness of penalties Scott incurred. Scott is far from the league's dirtiest player, but he's often been treated as such. The league has an unfortunate history of favoring the conduct of some players more than others, however, and Scott seemed to earn the ire of the NHL for whatever reason.

What's problematic about Scott's treatment is that it sends an unfortunate message to both the players and fans. By ignoring the vote, the NHL is discouraging fans from taking an active role in the league. It also seems to show the players that if they don't follow the league's wishes, punishment will come in one form or another. Coyotes GM Don Maloney maintains that Scott's trade was an integral part of a larger deal, but the timing seems convenient to say the least.

John Scott deserves to play in the All-Star Game. Scott could add an interesting narrative to an event that's typically a stuffy, lackluster affair. While some would argue that the fan vote was clearly a joke, the league's behavior here is anything but. If the NHL was embarrassed by the results of the vote, they should have taken the results in stride, and made an effort to rework the fan vote next season. Instead, a frequently abused player was told that he wasn't good enough to play in the All-Star Game, and fans were told that their vote doesn't count. 


In the end, the league embarrassed themselves far more than John Scott ever could have. 

No comments:

Post a Comment