NHL All-Star fan vote carries new ‘John Scott’ rules
By @MichaelCaples –
The NHL has announced that the fan vote for the All-Star Tournament (yes, three-on-three again) will now carry some rules to prevent another John Scott situation.
As if you don’t remember, Scott – a Michigan Tech alum – was voted into the All-Star festivities last year by fans across the globe rallying for a guy who otherwise probably would never get a taste of an event like that.
Now, the NHL has a few rules to attempt to rein in the fan vote.
Here they are, word for word:
- Eligible players must be on an NHL Club’s active roster as of Nov. 1. Any player not on the active roster on that date due to injury or special circumstances can be added to the ballot if / when he returns to the NHL Club’s active roster.
- If a player is assigned / loaned to the American Hockey League (AHL) or any other minor league team between Nov. 1 and 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 26, the player is not eligible in All-Star balloting. However, if the minor league assignment / loan is due to conditioning reasons, the player remains eligible.
- In the event a vote leader is disqualified due to a minor league assignment or loan (or other reason) after close of the NHL All-Star Fan Vote on Jan. 2, the player with the second-most votes in that division will be named captain.
- Fans will be permitted to vote for a player from a list of all players that meet these eligibility guidelines. The list of eligible players will be updated as players are assigned to a minor league team or return from IR.