John Scott Hockey, Movie Rights Sold

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John Scott's movie rights sold, Mitch Albom writing screenplay - After John Scott revealed last week that the movie about his improbable rise from enforcer to NHL All-Star Game MVP was going to happen, it now has a production company behind it and a well-known writer taking on the screenplay.

More from Deadline.com on the unlikely story becoming fodder for the silver screen:

Mandalay Sports Media has acquired the feature life rights to tell the story of John Scott, a journeyman player who: was voted into this year's NHL All-Star Game as a captain through an Internet write-in campaign, got traded and then demoted to the minors by a pissed-off NHL because he wouldn't withdraw and wound up the game's MVP before heading back to the minors in Newfoundland. It's so far-fetched that a screenwriter couldn't have invented it. Mitch Albom, the longtime Detroit Free Press sportswriter and author of books that include Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet In Heaven, has signed to write the script for a film that will be produced by MSM's Mike Tolin and Jon Weinbach, with Albom exec producing.
Tolin has been responsible for producing such sports films like Varsity Blues, Summer Catch, Radio and Coach Carter, among others. Both he and Weinbach have worked together on some of ESPN's 30 for 30 series.

Albom has had his books adapted for TV movies and wrote the teleplay for Mitch Albom's For One More Day. So this will be a little different for the veteran journalist. And we now know that Albom is the unnamed writer that Scott said approached him about the possibility of his story being a movie before the All-Star Game even happened.

Considering the history of the producer and screenwriter, this is probably going to be turned into a feel-good motivational tale.

Scott's “origin story” or how he even reached the NHL at all is certainly compelling, even though it's not terribly unique in the hockey world. What made him unique was the decision by fans to vote him into the All-Star Game, essentially as a joke, only to have Scott play along and turn it not only into a huge positive for himself, but a ratings and exposure win for the event itself.

If you've been living under a rock over the last month, Scott was voted into the NHL All-Star Game as Team Pacific's captain, garnering more votes than any player. It was a big source of controversy, but had a happy ending. He scored two goals while captaining Team Pacific in their semifinal game before the team went on to win the the 3-on-3 All-Star tournament and $1 million cash prize. Scott was named the NHL All-Star Game MVP after being overwhelmingly selected by fans on social media.

Scott made headlines prior to the event, first by being traded away from the division he was supposed to represent, then he got sent to the minors and later he revealed the depths to which one unnamed NHL employee went to in trying to get Scott to sit out the All-Star festivities. That turned Scott into a sympathetic figure and his performance over All-Star Weekend turned him into a folk hero.

Scott is currently back with the St. John's IceCaps, American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, where he will probably finish out the season and possibly his career.

Now the idea of this movie is more than just words. There's actual money and time being committed to the project. That doesn't necessarily mean it sees the screen, but it's far more likely now. What a wild ride it's been for the big fella.