NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) John Scott is known for intimidating opponents with his fists and massive size.
Now the Arizona Coyotes tough guy can add a new title: NHL All-Star captain.
Fans voted for the four captains to the Jan. 31 All-Star game at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and the final tally had Scott’s name next to Florida’s Jaromir Jagr, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Chicago’s Patrick Kane.
”It’s one of those things where I don’t want to be a joke, I don’t want to be an embarrassment, I don’t want to kind of embarrass the game in that way,” Scott said before the Coyotes faced the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
”But I talked to some people, I talked to a lot of former players and everyone said have fun with it, just go with it and it’ll be a good experience”.
The other three captains were not surprising. Jagr is one of the game’s elder statesmen, Ovechkin one of its best players and Kane is the NHL’s points leader.
The 6-foot-8, 270-pound Scott is one of the game’s last heavyweight fighters, a player who’s articulate and well thought of off the ice, but one of the most intimidating forces on it.
Scott has one assist and 25 penalty minutes in 11 games this season and was waived three times by the Coyotes. The enforcer has five goals, six assists and 542 penalty minutes in 285 career games.
The All-Star game was reformatted this year, with one player from each division selected by fan voting to lead a team in the three-on-three game.
”Fans – I was afraid that 3on3 all-Star game may kill me, now, I am more afraid, fighting John Scott 6,8 300 during All-Star, kill me for sure,” Jagr tweeted.
A fan campaign began when voting started and continued until Scott became an improbable captain.
”At first it was one of those things that I thought was a joke, but now it happened so I’ve kind of got to go with it, have some fun with it and try to do the best I can,” Scott said.
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