When tough-guy John Scott was told he was leading fan
"He is happy-go-lucky, and he said: 'Nothing is going to come of it,' " his wife, Danielle, told USA TODAY Sports. "I told him opportunities like this don't come out of the blue. They are special. I really wanted him to go."
Many view Scott's selection as a mockery of the process, coming largely as a result of a grassroots Internet movement that began on a Yahoo! Sports podcast, then escalated through
"He's part of the show and one of the many intriguing story lines of the game," said NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood. "We're going to cover him as we do any other player, although we'll acknowledge that he's there under unique circumstances."
Indeed there are several unique parts of Scott's story.
The 33-year-old was with the
It was unclear whether Scott would remain an All-Star, and league officials did approach Scott about pulling out of the game, a person close to the situation but not authorized to talk publicly told USA TODAY Sports.
But when Scott chose to play, the NHL put out a press release saying he would be welcome in Nashville this weekend.
"I thought he handled the situation with a lot of class," said Jamie Russell who was Scott's coach at Michigan Tech. "First and foremost, he said, 'I have teammates who are more deserving of this honor.' But once it shook out, he saw it as an opportunity his family can enjoy."
Scott has long had a reputation for being a popular with teammates.
"He has a personality that can keep things real loose," said Russell, now coaching the
Unquestionably, Scott has paid his dues. Since making his NHL debut in 2009, he has played with seven organizations with five goals and 542 penalty minutes in 285 games. According to hockeyfights.com, Scott has had 44 fights during his NHL career.
"He definitely represents players who are in the grind." Danielle Scott said.
The Scotts have two young daughters, Eva, 4, and
Originally, she was scheduled to have induced labor on All-Star weekend but has postponed it until February.
Danielle said she planned to go to the All-Star Game before her husband was traded but is having second thoughts.
"The risk is I will have babies in Nashville, but they have hospitals in Nashville," she said. "At least I know John will be there."
She knew Scott in college, but they didn't date then and she didn't follow his hockey career. "He was a mechanical engineering major and that's how I knew him," she said.
They started dating after college, and he told Danielle he was going to try pro hockey. "But I just assumed when I graduated college, we would go find a job somewhere," she said. "But his career kept going and going and going."
In college, Scott was a stay-at-home defenseman, considered strong on the penalty kill because of his long reach. In the pro games, he hasn't been able to expand his role beyond being an enforcer.
"He is lighthearted and nice, but he is also very protective," Danielle said. "I can see how he fell into that role. He is so protective of our daughters. I see him standing up for his teammates because that he is who he is."
The 3-on-3 format places emphasis on speed and offensive skill, and that puts the 260-pound Scott at a disadvantage.
"I am not nervous for him," Danielle said. "He has a long reach, and they play 3-on-3 in practice all of the time. He has been on good teams, and he's kept up with the players he has been matched up against through the years. This an opportunity for him to show what he can do."
Russell said he believes Scott has the right attitude. "He's going to have fun with it, and that is what All-Star weekend is all about," he said.
NBC analyst Ed Olczyk predicts Scott's teammates will look out for him in this format.
"Knowing hockey players, they will do whatever they can to get him a goal," Olczyk said.
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