John Scott shows heart in moving essay about NHL All-Star Game

It might not have been his choice to be selected for the NHL All-Star Game, but St. John's Ice Caps playerJohn Scott is making the most of his time in the spotlight.

After a whirlwind few weeks that saw him comefirst place in fan voting for theAll-Star Game,subsequentlytraded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens and then demoted to the team's AHL affiliate in St. John's, the NHL enforcer is coming clean about how the experience has affected his family.

In a moving essay titled 'A Guy Like Me'publishedin an online publication that gives athletes a platform to speak to fans directly Scott opened up about how his life has changed in the past few weeks.

Scott wrote honestly about the struggles of being known only asan enforcer in the NHL, the challenges his family has faced moving to a new cityandthe extreme dedication it took to get to the point where he is today.

In response to critics who havesaid he doesn'tdeserve to play alongside stars like Evgeni Malkin in the all-star game, Scottwrote, "I've skated every day since I was three years old to be one of them. I've persevered through juniors roster cuts, Alaskan bus rides, advanced dynamics exams, and, yes,fights, to be one of them."

He also took the time to give a direct rebuttal to the NHL for how he has been treated.

"While I don't deserve to be an all-star, I also don't think I deserve to be treated like I've been by the league throughout this saga," he wrote.

"I'm an NHL playerand, whatever my set of skills may be, that I'm an NHL player is no accident."

Scott said at one pointhe evenreceived a call from anNHL official who asked him: "Do you think this is somethingyour kids would be proud of?"

In response, he wrote: "When they see me on the ice on Sunday, will my girls be proud of me? Who knows. I like to think so. But I know they'll be there for me, for their big, goofy dad,no matter what."

Positive response online

Reaction to the essay was quitepositive online, with many calling out the NHL on what they believed was poor treatment of Scott.

Others commended Scott for speaking honestly about his struggles.

Many on Twitter were also touched byScott's words about his two daughters.

The Ice Caps organization also tweeted out its support.

Scott willlace up his skates for the NHL All-Star Game in Nashvilleon Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.