John Scott not thinking about end of his NHL career

John Scott, the unlikely NHL All-Star MVP who became a folk hero, may be going out in style as a Canadien in Montreal.

Get all of Allan Muir’s columns as soon as they’re published. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.

John Scott knows he might be playing his final NHL game on Tuesday night, but that's not the way he's looking at it.

"If you think about those things you're not going to play well, so I just block that stuff out," the All-Star Game MVP told the Montreal media ahead of his debut with the Canadiens. "If it is my last game, so be it. Like I've said a million times, it could be worse. [It'd be] a good way to go out with the Canadiens, I guess.

“I’m glad I can get into a game.”

Scott, who was exiled to AHL St. John's after being acquired by the Canadiens in January, only expects to skate in this one contest against the Florida Panthers, but he's looking forward to the experience.

“The fans [in Montreal] have always been the best," he said. "I’ve been here a few times and it’s just one of the best arenas to play at, so I’m excited to be on the home side of it this time.

The SI Extra Newsletter Get the best of Sports Illustrated delivered right to your inbox

Subscribe

"The fans and stuff, the chants when they get going. It's just a special building."

John Scott can take a joke: His All-Star journey and return to reality

Asked for a favorite memory from one of those previous visits, it didn't take Scott long to recall a dust-up with new teammate P.K. Subban.

"I was with P.K and we were mixing it up and he asked me to fight, I was like, 'OK, P.K., just stop.' I think I got a penalty on it, too. I might have given him a sucker punch or something."

Subban wasn't the only familiar face that Scott ran into when he joined the Habs for practice on Monday.

“Half the team I met in St. John’s,” he joked.