From the farm team of a club that didn’t want him to play NHL All-Star Game hero, the stranger-than-fiction tale of John Scott now appears headed to the silver screen.
“The movie thing is still going to happen, which is going to be super cool,” Scott told Dean Blundell on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Wednesday. “The guy from Goon would probably be perfect [to play me], but he’s already spoken for, so I’m going to have to look somewhere else.”
LISTEN: John Scott talks movie pitches, relationship with Gary Bettman
Scott explained that a writer approached him about the possibility of turning his unlikely and controversial All-Star Game appearance into a movie before he flew to Nashville in late January. Don’t be surprised if you get a bunch of script offers, he told Scott.
That writer linked with a film production company and is one of multiple groups to have pitched Scott’s agent, Ben Hankinson, on the concept.
“I think they want to do [the movie] fairly quickly while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind,” said Scott, who has no urge to write a book yet.
After a whirlwind fortnight that saw him seize the All-Star weekend spotlight, capture fans’ imagination and become a father of twin girls, Scott has now returned to his regular shift with the St. John’s IceCaps. Any anger he held toward the NHL has passed.
“I never had any problems with the league or Gary [Bettman],” Scott said. “They were trying to do the right thing by having me not play. They were just worried for me. They didn’t want to have this tall guy who doesn’t score in the All-Star Game and maybe embarrass them a little bit. I get that. I just think they went about it the wrong way.”
Like when an NHL representative suggested his children wouldn’t be proud of him for participating in a showcase of hockey’s most skilled athletes — a detail Scott revealed in an article for The Players’ Tribune.
“I won’t air any laundry,” Scott said. “I’ll keep that between me and the person I talked to.”
Scott did say the name of the league executive who asked him to skip the All-Star Game does not rhyme with “Larry.”
Big John called into the radio show from Syracuse, where his IceCaps take on the Crunch Wednesday night.
In six games with the Montreal Canadiens‘ AHL affiliate, the enforcer has eight penalty minutes, zero points, and at least one standing ovation.
“That whole two-week stretch was a big change, but now it’s kinda back to normal, back to business,” Scott said.
“I’ve got four girls now, I’ve got an NHL All-Star Game MVP under my belt, so I can’t complain.”
