A Guy Like Me: Fighting to Make the Cut

by John Scott, Brian Cazeneuve (With)

From the NHL’s most unexpected All-Star MVP comes a sports memoir unlike any other. Hilarious, candid, and reflective, A Guy Like Me recounts the heartwarming story of John an average joe who became a sports superhero overnight.

Known as a willing-and-able fighter and bruiser in the league, John Scott was a surprising and tongue-and-cheek nominee for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. He’d been in the league for over eight NHL seasons, playing for teams such as the Wild, Blackhawks, Rangers, Sabres, and the Sharks. Scott’s best attribute as an NHL player was dropping his gloves—never the best player, the 260 pounder did become the most feared fighter in the NHL, racking up extensive penalty minutes. In order to prevent him from playing in the game, his current team—the Phoenix Coyotes—traded Scott to the Montreal Canadians, who demoted him to the AHL team in an attempt to disqualify him from playing in the All-Star Game. Fans were outraged and Scott was devastated. He’d been downgraded in his job—forced to relocate while his wife was pregnant with twin girls. But the fans wouldn’t back down and insisted the NHL let Scott play in the game. The league relented, and Scott not only was invited to attend the NHL game in Nashville, but was nominated a team captain. The media and sports fans at large fell in love with the giant six-foot-eight player who by all means, was just a normal guy and no superstar player. In a true Cinderella story, Scott scored two goals and was the All-Star Game’s MVP. This is his personal memoir—detailing his life growing up and how he was able to keep his sense of humor and become the ultimate Cinderella-Story of hockey.

Genres: Hockey, Nonfiction, Sports, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Autobiography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published December 27, 2016

About the author

John Scott is a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League. Scott previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, and Montreal Canadiens of the NHL. Scott was born in Edmonton, Alberta, but grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario. He graduated from Michigan Technological University with a mechanical engineering degree. Scott and his wife Danielle have four daughters: Eva, Gabrielle, Estelle, and Sofia

Reviews

[Mickey Walsh]

"One day, as it was becoming clear that I would be voted into the All-Star Game, I got a call from someone at the League. Let's call him Dick."

John Scott is adorable. It's not an adjective you'd ascribe to a 6'8" enforcer, but the further along I got in this book, the more it seemed like the most appropriate word. He admits he cried both times he got traded. He's deeply in love with his wife, eschewing the All-Star Game afterparty to eat burgers with her while watching TV in their hotel room. He's not John Tortorella's biggest fan. He's a big softie and a college-educated smartypants to boot-- a rarity in the NHL. I laughed out loud a lot while reading this book and wanted to give him a hug by the end of it.

While it likely won't be on the shelves of many non-hockey fans (at least until the Mitch Albom-penned movie comes out!), those who enjoy the sport and the fairytale spectacle of the 2016 All-Star Game will find it a funny, breezy, unexpectedly personal read.

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through GoodReads First Read program.

This is the autobiography of loveable hockey goon John Scott. I am a casual NHL fan and I enjoyed the tale of his life story which is going to be a movie it sounds like.

Scott made his living as a tough guy enforcer for a lot of different teams during his NHL career. You learn about fighting in the NHL and why it is done. Why every team needs an enforcer.

You will see that behind the 6'8" tough guy exterior that Scott cried when he was traded and that it hurt his feelings when his skills were minimized by hockey people. You will also hear about his faith which I thought was great. When he was going through tough times he leaned on his faith and his wife's faith. Great testimony.

The biggest part of the story was in his last season he was leading the fan vote for the NHL all-star game and how those in the NHL tried to prevent him from going by a trade that sounded forced and Scott then being sent to the minors. The fans wouldn't hear of it though so he ended up going and being named MVP.

Looking forward to movie.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Guy Like Me was better than I expected. I'm a huge hockey fan and I remember John Scott from when he was on the Blackhawks team and then I remember his making the NHL All Star Game because of fans, so I was quite interested to read this book and get some behind-the-scenes facts...and the book exceeded my expectations!

The book was very easy to read and I found myself fascinated throughout most of the entire book. My favorite chapters were the ones that involved his time with the Blackhawks, but really the whole book was just wonderful.

All in all, I loved reading this book and definitely recommend it -- especially if you are a fan of hockey.

*I received a complimentary eBook copy of this book for my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion.*

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably only of interest to hockey fans who followed Scott's improbable 2016 journey to the All-Star Game, but a charming read. Scott's a great guy, a fine interview and quite self-deprecating. His voice comes through with honesty and humor. He's so grateful for all his love of the game added to his life and his family's. Glad he took the time to share his take.

[Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wholesome story about a wholesome guy. John Scott was a mediocre NHL player and became MVP at the 2016 NHL All Star game. This book was a story of his life and how he got to the All Star game. Unfortuantely, the audio book is not narrated by him which would've made the story even better! But, the audio narrator told the story very well. I really admired how the story focused on being an enforcer and the importance of players who are the enforcer of the team. He gave due to some of my favorites: Zac Rinaldo and Danny "Carbomb" Carcillo and I loved that. He also talked about Ray Emery, former Flyers goalie and his first fight which was a great memory to relive! R.I.P. Ray Emery

Overall, this was an awesome story and it took a lot of turns I didn't expect! I am now a John Scott stan. Even though I did stan him in 2016 haha

also I REALLY love how he took jabs at Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel by calling Kessel a lumberjack and saying that he got some lumberjack offers HAHAH hilarious.

[Lydon Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book as it gave another side to a story of something I remember happen a few years ago. It was in the perspective of an NHL goon opposed to a superstar. His story is interesting and worth the read.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The overall effective of this book was great - I laughed at the ending and had fun sharing the full story with people. John Scott's story is definitely a real life Rocky Balboa scenario and I really enjoyed getting to know about it.

But there was also a lot of boring info to slog through before I got to the final couple chapters.

Overall, there wasn't exactly anything wrong with this book. It was a decent read and had some interesting information about hockey that I hadn't realized before. But so much of it was full of exactly the kind of things I hate about memoirs:

Endless namedropping is seriously one of my least favorite parts of a memoir or biography. If it's a rock 'n' roll bio, then I'll at least recognize most of the names, so it's not as bad. But here, when I know very little about hockey, it's just annoying. And fills pages with dumb information that doesn't really matter to the person's story.

Really dry and dull biographical information is another part that always sucks about memoirs. There are always pages and pages of "So I grew up in such-and-such town and my parents were this or that way and my siblings did this." There can be interesting aspects, but when most of the book is full of basic information about families that aren't that interesting, it can be a lot to read. This book was one of those. John Scott seems like a decent guy, but his upbringing was very dull to read through.

A lot of memoirs have no personality. I'm sure John Scott is a fascinating guy, but there wasn't a lot about his writing that showed any personality at all. It makes for a boring read to hear long lists of uninteresting events told in a really dull way. This was a flat read, in large part due to John Scott's lack of writing skills.

Overall, this can be a really fun book if you care about hockey. But don't expect anything wonderful or fascinating from this that you wouldn't expect from a typical memoir.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I semi-followed the drama that surrounded John Scott as the NHL tried to prevent him from attending the All-Star game, so I was intrigued about the story that he could put out.

Without going into spoilers, this book, like many biographies, is the story of how John Scott got to where he is today. He talks about fighting in the NHL and his role in it, about life as a player that gets traded every few years.

The book itself was very well written and I zipped through it in two days. I expected more on the whole All-Star fiasco but I understand that was only a small part of his whole career.

In the end, I really enjoyed the book, and it makes me like John Scott even more. He is a humble, average joe, whom the league tried to take something very special away from. I've got a lot of respect for the guy and hope he goes on to do wonderful things in life.

Also, I'd really like to know who the Dick fellow was in the book. Because he should not be working in the NHL.

[Thegirlintheafternoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a perfect example of When a Thing is For You. If you generally like hockey and/or followed the John Scott All-Star saga with any degree of interest, you should read this book! If you're not particularly interested in hockey, though, it probably won't hold your attention, which is no slight on the book or its extremely likeable subject. Kudos to writer Brian Cazeneuve for maintaining Scott's voice in the collaboratively written book and to Scott for his relative openness about his time in the league; he manages to come across as both a smart, level-headed guy and a slightly starry-eyed dreamer still overwhelmed by his good fortune, and it's fun to spend time with both iterations in "A Guy Like Me."

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an awesome read. For those who don't know, This last year he was chosen for the all-star game through a fan vote. Then the league got involved, traded him, and sent him to the minors. Trying to keep him out of the game didn't work and riled up a lot of fans. He turned out to be the MVP of the game and is even in the process of approving a movie script based on his life. John definitely deserves it. Having met him, he is such a nice guy, really sweet and funny. The book really shows those aspects of his personality. Johns' story is very entertaining and down to earth. The writing is done really well, sounds like him (considering he had a "Co-Author"). Even if you are not very well versed in hockey it's still a fun light read. And will give you a better perspective on hockey enforcers.

[Ofbooksandhockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inside look at the 2016 NHL All-star MVP. I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. On the shorter sider side but it did cover the important information. I love books from the players perspective that come out after they’ve retired. It is really cool to see into their heads about the game and what it means to them.

There were many stories with players still in the game or not to far removed from the action that were really interesting to read about. NHL players are pretty reserved and not many show much personality during the years they are playing so its always great to hear stories about them.

Only downside was I wish there was a bit more about the all-star weekend.

Overall I found it to be a great book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second half of the book was much stronger than the first half (at least in part because I knew all the players), but it was an interesting perspective on youth hockey and Canada, so I can't say I didn't like every part of this book.

It suffers from some characteristic weaknesses that are kind of specific to ghostwritten autobiographies. Since it's mostly interview to dictation it feels very up close and personal, but you also don't get a lot of stories that tie together and it's certainly not the very best writing all around.

Even with that, I absolutely cried at the end, and I found myself texting friends about little parts that I loved. Well worth reading.

[Samuel Lam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story of a journeyman's rise to hockey fame. From humble beginnings to top of the hockey world, a great read. It's a little short and I wish there was more elaboration on the voting and weekend. Still, a good read. He signed my copy at a book signing and said his Sharks time was the most fun he had.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an autobiography of a hockey player. A hockey player I had never heard of before. That's probably because I know next to nothing about hockey. No seriously, I'm English. That means hockey for me is a bunch of vicious schoolgirls knocking lumps out of each other in a green field. So for me, this is a book about an ice hockey player because that's what we call the sport where men skate around and have snowball fights featuring fists instead of snowballs.

And I loved reading this book!

Okay, so I admit I may not be a typical non-hockey-fan-reader. I love stories of oddballs, outcasts, and eccentrics. So when I was told there was a book about a chap who got voted into the All-Star game and they, whoever they are, tried to stop him playing, I was instantly curious. Go back a few lines, I'm English - we love an underdog.

And in those preceding paragraphs I've written you can get a little hint as to what makes this book work so well. I'm an outsider to this world and yet John Scott managed to make me feel welcome. The writing feels authentic. It's accessible. Of course, there are hockey terms and phrases but they are easy to understand. The book mentions a multitude of hockey players whom will no doubt mean more to hockey fans than they did me, but I didn't need to know career stats or anything to follow along.

Of course, a large portion of the book follows Scott's career but it has a good balance of him as a person too. And that, for me anyway, is what brings an autobiography to life. We are people, and therefore we relate to other people. If I was a puck perhaps I would want a different book, but I am a person so I enjoy reading about people. For me, that is what opens up new topics to me. I love listening to people who are passionate about something talk on their subject because I enjoy their relationship with it. I can relate it to my personal experiences and understand their affection.

That's why I enjoyed this book too. Scott comes across as a thoroughly decent bloke (as we say in these parts). He's the kind of guy I can imagine sitting and talking with over a pint of Guinness. Sure, his world is pretty alien to me, but through this book I feel I have learnt a lot about both the man and his sport. I didn't feel patronised, I feel he enjoys showing people the nuances that make his world so much fun for him. And that makes for a truly engaging autobiography.

All this superb storytelling builds up to his, apparently, famous All-Star Game. I was rooting for him. Forget that the cover tells you the outcome, I was invested. The preceding chapters showed me a likeable man and I could see why the fans were behind him. Why his fellow players welcomed him. Why he belonged at that game. I want to go back and watch those games. I wish I could have seen them live because they sound like they were worth watching.

And that's the icing on the cake for this one. Scott pulled me into his story. I was transported back to a game I never saw of a sport I barely know. Does any storyteller want anything more than that?

Maybe if I was a hockey fan I'd say it was too light, but I don't think I would. It feels like it has enough for the more informed reader too. But as a random Englishman who heard a glimpse of this bizarre story? It's a superb read. It ticks all the boxes for an autobiography, for a sports book, and for a happy ending too. It's a feel good read for everyone.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Scott’s story of his rise to become an enforcer in the NHL is not unlike those of others who have followed similar paths in order to become players in the highest professional league in North America with less than outstanding skills. While they are similar, every story has its unique turns and Scott’s is no different. He tells his tale in this fun and easy-to-read memoir he wrote with Brian Cazenevue.

Start with the most obvious reason that Scott’s story is different. He went from being a relatively obscure player who bounced around for several teams to becoming not only an All-Star that was voted into the game by fans, but he also won the All-Star game MVP award in 2016. What makes that even more remarkable was that the fan voting took place while Scott was a member of the Arizona Coyotes, but before the All-Star game, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, who sent him down to their minor league team in the American Hockey League. So, you had a player going to the All-Star game who was currently playing in the minor leagues. Which does sound like it qualifies as something different than stories of other hockey tough men.

Scott’s stories about this chapter of his career is certainly the best part of the book, both in the information he shares and the entertainment value of the book. However, that doesn’t discount the fact that the rest of the book is a solid effort in which Scott never takes himself too seriously, shares the self-doubt that plagued him at each level of hockey and each off-season as he would usually sign one year contracts with each team that paid for his services. He played for a total of seven NHL teams. In addition to the Coyotes and Canadiens (he did get called back to the NHL by Montreal), he played for the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks.

The sections about Scott’s personal life, how he met and fell in love with his wife Danielle when both were students as Michigan Tech, and also his college hockey career at Tech when they were one of the struggling teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association also make great reading. Hockey fans will be the ones who will want to pick up this book if they have not already done so, as it’s one that has a lot of hockey talk inside and will make a reader a fan of John Scott if they are not already one.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about John Scott who in 2016 was a nominee to the NHL All-Star game and the league office and some others wanted him to decline in going. He was even traded from Phoenix to Montreal and then sent down to the minors. All of this while his wife was pregnant with twin girls ready to deliver any time.
The book opens with his childhood and how he got into playing hockey. He also talks about his home life and about his brothers and how both his mother and father have been there for him always. He takes you through his young life up to him going to college and his beginning to play for the college team. He also goes through all of his attempts in trying to date the woman who would eventually become his wife. That was just one part of the story that was funny. He also talks about a time when he was in an accident while he was in college and how it was, he was responsible for it and it made him start to look at things differently in his life.
You then get a look into his career as a hockey player first in the minors then finally making it to the NHL, playing for the Minnesota Wild. He goes into his reasoning for having enforcers still in the game which I agree with. You get a good look at his career and his marriage. A look at the game through a player’s eyes and not a star eye. I did not understand what Mike Millbury has against him.
When you finally get to the end of the book, he takes you through the whole All-Star fiasco and how he finally played the game and became the MVP of the game. Of course, afterward, the NHL changed the voting so fans won’t vote just a player to the game and not a star, though I thought part of that part of the game was for the fans? I must be wrong go figure. I found this to be a good book and very much worth the read for any fan. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Mathew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of these hockey player autobiographies, and even though they are all essentially the same story, they are all vastly different journeys and personalities.
This book is like the underdog of underdogs who somehow becomes the MVP of the All Star game. It's a bit of a crazy story, almost unbelievable if it didn't really happen. So, John Scott is an enforcer - the guy who is on the team to fight. He scores maybe a goal a year. He is constantly on the edge of making a team, and when he does make a team he is given a year contract. Obviously no superstar.
But like most enforcers he is a fan favourite.
When the NHL decided they would let the fans decide who would play in the All Star game John Scott started getting a pile of votes. He ended up with the most votes overall, #1, Captain of the team...this guy? An all star?
Not in the typical sense, but the votes speak for the fans so reluctantly the league let him play.
With the crowd support Scott ends up winning the MVP at the all star game.
It's a crazy story, because after that All Star game he doesn't play many NHL games and doesn't make a team again.

Aside from that story what I find interesting about these 'enforcer' autobiographies is the contradicting personalities. These guys who fight are usually soft spoken, gentle giants, off the ice. Scott is another 'goon' who beats up people on the ice, but off the ice is a college grad, a married man with kids, and is an all round nice sounding guy. It just doesn't make sense to me.

[G.K. Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about this everyman filling one of the tougher, less appreciated roles in pro hockey. The narrative takes the reader on a journey from how Scott's career as an enforcer began (spoiler alert: he never set out to be the team tough guy) to how it diminished as his career--and the role of/need for enforcers in pro hockey--diminished. Gives a nice peek behind the curtain of the sport without tearing it down. Scott's love of the game really comes through, and I couldn't help but root for him the entire way.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is about John Scott who is a NHL journeyman and enforcer. The life details his life and career as he bounces around the NHL and makes a name for himself as an enforcer. The climax of the book is where he is voted into the all star game by fans and becomes the MVP, even after league executives attempt to talk him out of playing.

Unfortunately the book isn’t long enough to provide enough meaningful insight. The all star game portion would do well in a movie. Book just isn’t as up to par as other hockey books. Skip this one and pick another hockey book.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read - interesting story of an atypical background for an NHL player. Chased down engineering as well as a career as an enforce in the NHL. Was a bit disappointed that he didn't reveal more about what happened with the NHL All-Star game. Perhaps there were legal issues surrounding this, but it was little more than what was made known in the media considering it was the 'juiciest' part of his story.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute! I love books about hockey players and how they get their start! I love John Scott and this book only gives me more respect towards him. There's so much I didn't even know about him and I'm so glad to have read this book and learned more about him, his life, his career, and his family. It really is inspiring and just an amazing thing. I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I finally read it! Nothing makes me happier than a good hockey related book. :)

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really entertaining. John Scott is a one of a kind guy who has very kind things to says about his fellow hockey players. I'm not one for sports but I enjoyed this book. I followed Scotts career and rooted hard for him to join the AllStar Game so it was nice to read his perspective on all the things that happened. The book also enlightened me a little in regards to fighting in hockey though I still don't think I support it.

[Jen Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This actually turned out to be a little gem. I didn't have high expectations and sure, a lot of descriptions are 'it was awesome' or 'he was a cool guy' but the guy's a goon not an author. It was a great throw back for me through the last decade of hockey and his All-Star experience IS the epitome of a feel good story, the ultimate screw you to Gary Bettman.

....even if I severely disagree with his most recent commentary of T Willy.

[Brandon Landis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of John’s “Dropping the Gloves with John Scott” podcast, I was excited to check out the book telling his story. John himself has said publicly that he’s not a huge fan of the book, and some reviews comment it gets a little heavy on name dropping, but I enjoyed it! Who doesn’t love an underdog story, and hearing what it’s like to be a “normal guy” in an NHL locker room is always a cool peak behind the curtain.

[Prettytaz83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the chapters talking about the All-Star game, and they kept me interested. The rest of the book was fine, but it was pretty simple. My thoughts were, “this was a book that really didn’t need to be written”.

However, John Scott is awesome, and I’m glad that I purchased the book to support him. He seems like a nice guy.

[Jon Moeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished recently- A good read about an enforcer in the NHL and his rise to popularity to make it to a NHL All-Star game and becoming the MVP of the 3 on 3 tourney. Just prior to the All-Star break he was demoted to the AHL. He finished the season and retired. A real Cinderella story and an easy read.

[Aslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For literature from an NHL goon, this is by far one of the best sports stories I have ever read. I distinctively remember watching the drama of the 2016 All-Star game and this was one of the best page turners I have picked up in a while.

Even if you don't care about hockey, this is a great story of someone that made a whole lot out of nothing, and really humbly appreciates it.

[Jeremy Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the greatest memoir. It felt extremely rushed to take advantage of his popularity at the time. I would have liked a much more expanded detail on the whole All Star season which is why I wanted to read a book. Its an incredible story that just comes out sort of flat in the book compared to the excitement it must have generated for Mr. Scott.

[Dom Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book about an everyday guy who had an opportunity to live many Canadian’s childhood dream of playing in the NHL.

He never intended to get into hockey by being a fighter but just came with the lunch bucket work your ass off and live life attitude everyday

Great blend of humour, humility and everyday life! Quick enjoyable read

[Brent Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about John Scott, a hockey player I admittedly didn't know much about, other than the fact that he was voted into the All-Star Game and the NHL did everything they could to stop him. Didn't know he lived in Traverse City or that he went to Michigan Tech.

Overall, a pretty good book. Found it at Ollie's. Pretty easy read.