The Punchline
1/16/202651 min
This episode, first aired in 2019, brings you the story of John Scott, the professional hockey player that every fan loved to hate. A tough guy. A brawler. A goon. But when an impish pundit named Puck Daddy called on fans to vote for Scott to play alongside the world’s greatest players in the NHL All-Star Game, Scott found himself facing off against fans, commentators, and the powers that be. Was this the realization of Scott’s childhood dreams? Or a nightmarish prank gone too far? Today on Radiolab, a goof on a goon turns into a parable of the agony and the ecstasy of the internet, and democracy in the age of Boaty McBoatface.
Special thanks to Larry Lynch and Morgan Springer.
Check out John Scott's "Dropping the Gloves" podcast *(*https://www.droppingthegloves.com/) and his book (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Guy-Like-Me/John-Scott/9781501159657) "A Guy Like Me".
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by - Latif Nasser
Produced by - Matt Kielty
Original music and sound design contributed by -
John Dryden, Thee Oh Sees, Weedeater and Bongzilla.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLatif Nasser· Host0:00
[electronic music] Radiolab is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the Name Your Price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try it at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law, not available in all states. [upbeat jingle] Hey, it's Latif. This is Radiolab. Today, I'm gonna resurface a story with an interview that was one of, if not the, hardest gets of my career. It took me two years of pestering. I regularly pestered the guy's PR people, then his agent, his book agent, even him directly. I got multiple nos at multiple points, and you're probably thinking, "Who is this guy? Is it the President? Is it a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer?" No, it was this humble, unassuming Canadian guy you've probably never even heard of, but I had just fallen for his story so hard, I knew I had to tell it. So when I finally did get that yes, when I finally did interview him, the only time he offered to talk to me was when he was at home on dad duty, and you could hear his kid banging on a piano in