After eight years in the National Hockey League John Scott has an special perspective on the role of the enforcer; a role he was both shamed and celebrated for playing.
The movement behind #voteJohnScott to get him into the 2016 NHL All-Star Game changed his profile and his own perception of enforcers’ true place the league. In the past 12 months, Scott has gone from “that guy who tried to beat up Phil Kessel” to messaging Liev Schreiber asking him to play him in a movie, to hanging up his skates for good.
Through it all, the St. Catherine’s, ON native still strongly believes that NHL enforcers shouldn’t be eliminated, but celebrated. Here’s why and more from our conversation earlier this week at the Sportsnet studios in Toronto.
SPORTSNET.CA – It’s crazy, it was a year ago at this time that you were the talk of the hockey world. How has your life changed in that time?
John Scott – It’s changed a lot personally, professionally. I don’t play hockey anymore. I’m retired. I had two kids. I’m a different person than I was a year ago. My priorities have changed. It’s completely different, it’s funny.
SN – In your estimation, what is the role of the enforcer in the game. Why is it important?
JS – I think it’s important. Obviously fighting is a part of the game, it’s engrained in the sport. The role of the enforcer is needed. They keep the peace on the ice. They make sure star players don’t get taken advantage of and I’ve been an advocate of that forever. I think if you watch a game where there isn’t a player that keeps the other team nervous, there are players that take runs at players. There are dirtier hits. The play gets more chippy.
And if there is a player there that is a fighter, they would calm that stuff down. There wouldn’t be as many borderline hits, there wouldn’t be as much scrums or chippy play. The role of that enforcer definitely calms the play down and keeps the play honest.
SN – The other change we’ve seen since that time a year ago is that role being taken out of the game. Why do you think that is?
JS – I just think the higher-ups, the brass has a vision for the game and they don’t see fighting in their vision. It’s too bad. It’s a good part of the game in my opinion. People love fighting. It serves a purpose and I don’t think it needs to be taken out like it has been. It’s evolving. The days of the bench clearing brawls, guys going out there who play two minutes and fight are gone. I’m fine with that. I don’t think those players belong in the league. I hope they don’t take it to the point that fighting is banned altogether. I hope they do it smart where they change the game where there is fighting and the players who fight are still in the game.
SN – You are a guy who had your fair share of tussles. What’s that experience like?
JS – You know, you can look at the schedule weeks, months in advance and you know who you are going to fight. It’s nerve-wracking. You’re having a fistfight with somebody and the other guy is trying to knock your block off. So, it’s nerve-wracking. It weighs on you a little bit. Like when I first came into the league I was terrified. I was nervous. I would lose sleep. I’d be a nervous wreck days leading into a game. You just learn to let that go and just embrace it and you become a little more knowledgeable with it.
SN – You knew Derek Boogaard well. In hindsight, is there something you could have said to him, helped him with to help him in that role?
JS – It was a tough, tragic situation. He kind of isolated himself at the end. Hindsight is 20/20. I could have reached out a little more and been there for him. I have my life, he has his life, we’re both playing in the league. It was a bad situation. It stunk. He isn’t here anymore and I wish he was. I don’t wish that on anybody. We just have to learn from that tragedy and realize how the system failed Derek. It was a bad, bad situation.
SN – You said the system failed him, yet you believe we should still have enforcers. How is there a way to still have that role but not have people in that place?
JS – I don’t think him being an enforcer played a part in him dying. The reason he passed was a lack of support. He didn’t have people watching out for him as well as they should have. There was too much drugs. Too much prescription pills. It was a cocktail of destruction and it just got the better of him. He kind of slipped into this depression and stayed there. It was an unfortunate thing where he took the wrong mixture of pills and booze and that was it.
If he would have had someone fighting for him, someone in his corner looking out for him, that wouldn’t have happened. I think we have learned from that. We don’t prescribe as many pills as freely or as willingly as we used to. It still needs to be better. But it is changing; we do need to get a support system for people who are a little depressed. Hockey is a lonely sport sometimes, you know you always got to have someone to talk to and I think that’s where we failed Derek.
SN – Some of the younger guys… would there be something you’d say to them to help them with it?
JS – It’s tough. I myself I never grew up fighting in college. I just kind of evolved into my position. Some people loved fighting. I never did. I just did it because it was my job and once the fight was over I was relieved. For young kids, don’t focus on just fighting. Worry about being a hockey player first and the fighting will take care of itself.
SN – You are a highly educated guy. You have a degree in mechanical engineering but there is the perception of an enforcer as a thug. How much of the change is due to the optics?
JS – I think the role is changing and trying to be eliminated because of the whole concussion thing. Everyone got worried about concussions and the easiest target is fighting. It’s like OK, we hit each other in the head, what can we do to satisfy the concussion issue? It’s get fighting out of the game. Understandable, it’s the easy target.
I do think people portray fighters as brainless guys who don’t know how to tie their own shoes sometimes; we just have a one-track mind. We’re the more likeable guys on the team and hopefully that can come across by guys like me and George Parros and Kevin Westgarth, who are smart and well versed.
SN – The code among fighters is often mentioned. What is the definition of that code for you?
JS– Just watch out for each other. We all have the same job, it’s a tough job and you don’t want to hurt somebody. You’re just watching while you fight and if you got somebody in a bad position you don’t want to hurt them. You know you look out for each other, you respect each other and you treat each other that way.
SN – Who is a guy respected among all enforcers for abiding by the code?
JS – You just look at a guy like Chris Neil. He’s been doing it forever and he plays the game the right way. He’s honest, he fights all the time. He doesn’t do cheap shots. He’s just a really well-respected guy. He’s a perfect example of someone who plays by the code. Doesn’t take any liberties. He’s the guy for sure.
SN – What is the euphoria of scoring a goal like in relation to winning a fight?
JS – It’s completely different. Scoring a goal; it’s fun. It’s always a good thing. But fighting it’s so weird, it’s like caveman, your instincts take over. You want to win that fight. You want to beat that guy up. It’s just you and him. It doesn’t matter if there are 20,000 people in the arena or two people, it’s just like ‘OK I’ve got to win this fight.’ Caveman instincts take over. I love it. It’s cool.
SN – When you do score a goal and you are one of the guys who are not expected to, what’s that relationship like between you and the rest of the guys?
JS – The guys are like “Oh wow, you scored?” (laughs). Everyone is surprised. Everyone is happy. No one is more happy than the team if a tough guys scores because they know we have the hardest job. We work our tail off in practice. We don’t get much accolades, so when we do score everyone is pretty jacked up about it.
SN – At All-Star weekend last year, did you feel celebrated or unwanted?
JS – Everything. It was all these emotions balled into one. Excited, nervous, worried. I didn’t know what to expect. All of those kind of got thrown out the window as soon as I did my first media day and everybody was excited to talk to me and the fans were jacked up to see me and that got me excited. And it got me looking forward to the game. It was a needed surprise because I was really nervous going into that weekend.
SN – What was it like for your family?
JS – It was cool. It was fun to be able to do that with your kids and skate around the ice. The girls loved it, then my wife is crying in the stands. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was just a cool, cool experience.
SN – You mention in the book your conversation with a character you refer to as “Dick” from the league who threatened you to back out of the all-star game. He referenced what your father or children might think of you if you attended. Getting off the phone what were you first thoughts?
JS – I was angry. I think there are certain lines you don’t cross. And there are ways to go about things. That conversation crossed a line and I lost a bit of respect for that person. I was kind of fed up with it. I understood what the league wanted to do and I felt they crossed a line. I said that’s enough I’ve had it.
SN – You mention a lot of people by name in the book. You included, Gary Bettman and your interaction with him. You didn’t mention that person. Why did you make that intentional choice and not name him?
JS – I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus. I don’t want to upset the league. Obviously they’ve employed me for a long time. I’ve never been one to stir up a controversy. I’m not going to bite the hand that fed me for so long. I’ll probably have interaction with that person if I work anywhere in hockey, so why even stir up that?
SN – Now what are your feelings towards the league?
JS – During the time I was disappointed, confused, angry. It was such a weird situation with the whole thing and how it went down. I think people were just trying to feel it as it went along. It was such a weird decision. I think people made decisions that they thought were right. And I made my decisions and I understand where they were coming from. They were looking out for themselves and I was looking out for me and we were trying to do the best that we could. I have no ill will and no problem with anybody. Hopefully they feel the same towards me.
SN – Was the all-star controversy the best or worst thing that could have happened to you?
JS – It wasn’t the best thing that happened to me. It was both. It was a good ending. It was a tough beginning. It was experience. I’m glad I went through it. I’m glad no one else is going to have to go through it because it kind of sucked. It is what it is. You kind of play the cards you’re dealt.
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SN – The next big decision you made was to retire. Why?
JS – I didn’t’t want to honestly deal with it again. I could have played. I could still be playing. I was done. Mentally, emotionally, I didn’t’t want to go through that again. And then we had our twins; there was just a lot of other stuff I had to deal with. I was good.
SN – Do you miss it?
JS – Oh yeah, absolutely. It was my life. That’s all I’ve been associated with for 20 something years in hockey. And then to all of a sudden step away and transition into something new, it’s tough. It’s who you are for so long and then you have to reinvent yourself. I’m still dealing with that and working at it and figuring out what the next step is for me and my family.
SN – What is family life like?
JS– It’s just a lot of knuckles deep in poop and day-to-day getting through the grind. It went from fighting people, to getting kids down for nap time, driving them to school and changing diapers.
SN – That’s a different type of tough guy work.
JS – Oh yeah, it’s a lot harder.
SN – Some of the buzz that followed you winning MVP in Nashville was Mitch Albom taking your story and making a movie out of it. Where does that stand?
JS – It is in the works. I read the script last month. It’s really good. They’re looking for actors and directors. I just stay out of it; they’re the experts. They give me updates every once and a while and its full steam ahead.
SN – You have no say?
JS – No say at all.
SN – No say in who plays you?
JS – None. They asked me who I would like and I gave a name or two and they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll see what we can do.’ I’m not a decision maker.
SN – Who did you say?
JS – I said Liev Schreiber. He’s good. He kind of looks like me. There are not too many guys who can play me, honestly. The list is short.
SN – Because of your height?
JS – Because of the height and hopefully the actors they approach like the story. We don’t have a say in anything. Nothing. Hopefully they do a good job. We trust Mitch. He’s a good writer.
SN – Whether it is on the silver screen or in your book; what do you want people to learn from your story?
JS – I guess that I’m grateful for everything that I got. I know that I was lucky. I’m not trying to complain about anything. I’m a lucky person to have what happened to me, happen to me. I worked my tail off to get there. It was a good ride.
SN – What are your thoughts on the future of the NHL game?
JS – The game is in a good spot, it’s exciting, the young players are good, there is still fighting. It’s still a great game. I hope they don’t take it to the extreme of no fighting and it’s a European style of game because I don’t think that’s what fans in North America want.
They like the hitting, they like the fighting and they like the goals. And I think the game is really good. So hopefully they let it be. It’s great right now. I love the game right now, it’s exciting.