Montreal Canadiens forward John Scott has had one hell of a year.
Scott’s gone from NHL roster player to joke NHL All-Star fan-vote nominee, to traded and demoted, to unlikely All-Star MVP and back to the minors. It’s been a roller-coaster season for the 6’8″ enforcer. The Canadiens recently called-up Scott to give the 33-year-old one more chance at playing in the league before potentially calling it quits as tonight he appeared in perhaps his last career game.
Scott took the opening faceoff in the Canadiens 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers and logged just over nine minutes of ice-time, even getting a shift on Montreal’s power play. Scott, who gained plenty of fanfare during his All-Star ordeal, unsurprisingly had fans in Montreal cheering him on.
MONTREAL, QC – APRIL 05: Goaltender Roberto Luongo #1 of the Florida Panthers checks up on John Scott #22 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 5, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Eric Engels of Sportsnet.ca reports after the game the Canadiens asked Scott if he’d like to go back to St. John’s and the AHL or go back to his wife and four kids. Scott chose the latter.
Canadiens asked Scott if he'd like to go back to St. John's or home. He chose his wife and 4 kids. Good choice.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) April 6, 2016
The Canadiens season has been a disaster, but it was a kind move by the organization to give Scott one more chance to play. They didn’t overdo it and give him top-line minutes or make the game about him, but they let him lace up the skates one more time and do his thing. Scott’s enjoyed a nice career for a player with his skill, appearing in nearly 300 career games. The call-up and appearance with the Canadiens was a perfect bookend for his wild season and career.
