NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Enforcer John Scott met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday night after making the All-Star team in a controversial fan vote.
Earlier, Scott said someone from the league tried to talk him out of playing in the game.
The Pacific Division captain was traded from Arizona to Montreal and sent to the minors in Newfoundland.
“Now that I’m here, yeah, it’s nice,” Scott said. “They were very welcoming and I sat down with Gary and we had a little quick chat. He said, ‘You know, we’re happy to have you here. We’re going to have a good time and make the best of it and just have fun in Nashville.’”
Scott wrote a story in The Players’ Tribune, explaining his side of the story.
“I read a ton of articles and I didn’t really care for some of them,” Scott said. “I just wanted to get my voice heard and just have it written my way.”
Scott, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound left winger, had one assist and 25 penalty minutes in 11 games with Arizona, but drew the largest media scrum Friday.
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And what did he learn from this sudden popularity?
“I learned just to keep my mouth shut and go to work,” Scott said. “I think during this whole process I stayed quiet and let everyone else do the talking and I think that worked out well.”
Scott, 33, said the response he received from The Players’ Tribune article was overwhelmingly positive.
“I’ve gotten a lot of text messages and calls from people I’ve never even met,” Scott said. “It’s been pretty crazy. It’s been, I guess, a big success.”
An NHL logo had to be added to his helmet since he’s currently in the minors.
Scott has played in 285 NHL games during the last eight seasons, but he’s known more for his 542 penalty minutes than 11 points.
“I’m going to enjoy it while I’m here and then go back to the real world,” Scott said.
He said the last few weeks have been difficult.
“My wife’s pregnant, she’s expecting now in a week, week and a half,” said Scott, whose wife is expecting twins. “It’s been a very trying few weeks. It’s nice to see it come to an end and enjoy the fruits of all that hardship that we dealt with.”
Scott believes the role of enforcers who only fight is gone.
“I think that role died a few years ago,” Scott said. “The guys who are there now can play a little bit. They can skate and do different things.”
Scott, a Michigan Tech engineering graduate, dislikes the goon label.
“Just a guy who’s brain dead and goes out there and fights and doesn’t really know how to play hockey,” Scott said. “It’s really a derogatory term. I don’t like it when people call me a goon. I fight maybe six times a year. You get this label and it sticks.”
He will compete in Saturday’s hardest shot competition.