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John Scott, unlikely NHL All-Star, announces his retirement

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2016, file photo, Pacific Division forward John Scott looks into the stands during the NHL hockey All-Star championship game against the Atlantic Division, in Nashville, Tenn. The NHL is taking steps to avoid another John Scott situation at the All-Star Game. The league on Monday. Nov. 21, 2016, announced new fan voting rules that disqualify players from being named All-Star captains if they’re injured or sent to the American Hockey League. Scott, a journeyman enforcer, was voted in by fans last year when he was with the Arizona Coyotes and still served as the Pacific Division captain despite being traded to the Montreal Canadiens and demoted to the AHL. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

It’s been known for a while, but John Scott made it official on Wednesday that’s he’s retired.

Writing on The Players’ Tribune, Scott announced that he’s now focusing on his new full-time job: stay-at-home dad for his four daughters.

Undrafted out of Michigan Tech, Scott signed his first contract with the Minnesota Wild during the 2006-07 season. He would play for seven teams over the course of his career, scoring five goals (one featured on a shirt he wore) and racking up over 70 fights between the NHL and AHL, per HockeyFights.com.

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Scott vaulted into mainstream notoriety last season when he was voted as the Pacific Division captain for the NHL All-Star Game in Nashville as part of a fan campaign that this blog took part in. We all know how things went, with his curious trade to Montreal to the NHL trying to talk him out of participating to the league relenting and the 6-foot-8 enforcer ending up as MVP of the 3-on-3 tournament.

Now after all that, the NHL created a John Scott Rule when it comes to fan voting — a rule he likes, actually. There’s a book coming out this month that tells his story, and the movie rights to his All-Star Game drama were sold with a script to be written by Mitch Albom.

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Scott had a storybook ending to an unlikely career – one that he never took for granted.

From the Players Tribune:

You know, I still get chirped by people on the Internet. They’ll say, “You’re just a joke. You only scored five goals in your NHL career.”

What can I say?

You’re damn right I did.

Retirement has served Scott well so far. He’s spent time doing radio in Toronto, fishing and brewing homemade beer in-between his duties as a dad. Only 34, and after his popularity soared in the past year, many more doors could open for him in the future.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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