NHL all-star MVP now happily Catholic

When John Scott went off to college in the fall of 2002, hockey and partying were his top interests. Today his top interests are faith and family.

What made the difference?

The acceptance of God’s grace—especially as Scott found it operating through his wife, Danielle. When he visited her parents on weekends from Michigan Technical University, he got a sense of the obligation to worship God—something he was not raised with. Danielle also made it clear that, if they got married, it would be in the Catholic Church and that their children would be raised Catholic. However, despite this firmness in faith—and her desire for Scott himself to be Catholic—she did not pressure him to enter the Church.

This combination of principled devotion and respectful openness influenced Scott throughout his NHL career, which culminated in a 2016 NHL All-Star Game appearance in which he was named the MVP. This was a highly unusual situation, since, Scott said, “NHL administrators did not even want me to be in the game. They thought my size—6 feet, 8 inches—and my reputation as a rough enforcer would prevent me from keeping up with the fast-paced, ‘clean’ appearance of the All-Star Game they wanted to present.”

Scott’s unlikely success at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game has even become the subject of a movie. With the working title of Great Scott, the movie’s script was written by Mitch Albom and filming might take place this year. While the production and release of that film are anticipated, the “release” of Scott’s newest “family production” has already taken place, with the birth of their sixth daughter this past July.

All together now

While the defenseman/winger from Edmonton, Alberta agreed to be married in the Church and raise his children Catholic, it took a while to find the time for his own entry into the Church. He intended to become Catholic in his playing days, but his schedule would not permit that.

Over the course of a decade, Scott played for seven different NHL teams: the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, and Montreal Canadiens. “I would sign up for an RCIA course in one city and then we’d find ourselves moving to another city before the course could be completed,” Scott lamented. “Once I retired from hockey in 2017, I was finally able to follow through, get baptized, and become a regularly practicing Catholic,” he explained.

Not only does Scott gladly attend the traditional Latin Mass every Sunday in northern Michigan, he also attends weekday Masses whenever he can, commits to a Eucharistic holy hour every week, and prays the rosary with his family every day. The Scotts also pray the morning offering and Angelus in their home, which was enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“I love how the Latin Mass draws you into a totally different world through the language, the chanting, the precision, the priest and people all facing God, and so on,” he said, adding: “That’s how worship should be—with God at the center. It should be a transformative experience, not just from a correct doctrine standpoint, but from an aesthetic-liturgical one in which we worship as the saints of the past have. Really, in the Latin Mass it is clearer that we are worshipping with the saints.”

Sharing salvation with the world

Shortly before the COVID-19 shutdowns, Scott became a member of the Catholic Athletes for Christ speakers’ bureau. He has not yet had the opportunity to address many groups, but is hopeful for the future, which might include events with Legatus chapters.

Ray McKenna, founder and president of Catholic Athletes for Christ, said, “Most of our work at CAC revolves around MLB and NFL ministries. Our NBA and NHL presence is less developed, so it is great now to have two remarkable NHL men in our speaker’s bureau. The first is record-setting referee Kerry Fraser and the second is All-Star Game MVP John Scott.”

While waiting for in-person speaking opportunities, Scott has used his podcast, called “The Fight That Matters,” to share his faith. “The title of the show comes from the fact that, in the last analysis, the only meaningful fight is the one for salvation. If you lose everything else but gain heaven, you’ve truly won; yet if you’re won everything else but lose heaven, you’ve truly lost.”

Wins and losses on the ice once held great importance for Scott, but he now has a clearer view of competition—including when it becomes violent. While physical altercations are not, generally speaking, endorsed by the Church, self-defense can be warranted. There is also the consideration of fighting in the context of a rough sport that players freely chose to be a part of. Even then, throwing punches became less and less appealing as Scott’s career advanced, and, now in retirement, his “punchiness” is restricted to straightforward talk on matters of faith.

“I’m so grateful for experiencing the joy of becoming a member of the body of Christ. Hockey is not a sport with lots of religion, so the contrast between my earlier hockey life and my life now is quite sharp. That makes me want to share the good things of the Church all the more— especially with other men.”

Time to take a stand

At a time when some people in positions of authority thought liquor stores, marijuana shops, and abortion clinics were important enough to keep open during COVID-19 shutdowns, but churches were not, Scott, who was born in Canada and is now an American citizen, sees the need to be clear about a Christian’s civic responsibilities.

“When it comes to voting soon,” he said, “one choice is not as good as another. The leaders who respect human life, families, religious liberty, private property, and freedom of association should be supported by our votes. We need to make it perfectly clear that our humanity-respecting Judeo-Christian traditions are not expendable; they are what made this country great and they are still deeply valued.”

When the Ten Commandments are not respected as they once were, things get worse and worse. Scott saw this in Jesse Romero’s book, The Devil in the City of Angels. He said of the book: “People without a religious foundation see less reason to restrain their impulses for their own good or the good of their neighbor. What makes September 2020 | 22 | legatus.org (new website!) it even worse is when outright demonic activity fills the void that religion would have filled.”

While things can look bleak, Scott has hope that they can be improved—if action is taken. He said, “It’s not enough to have the right things in your head; you have to do the right things with your hands. Voting well— that is, with faith and reason, rather than faith and emotion— is absolutely necessary for all Christians.”

Knowing that certain issues take precedence over others, Scott sees a potential return to tradition that is inextricably linked to the dignity of each human person. For that to happen, the “silent majority” needs to be awakened once again.

Trent Beattie is a Legatus magazine contributing writer.