Newly retired John Scott shares a hilarious Gary Bettman story.

Newly retired National Hockey League enforcer John Scott is now free to say whatever he likes free from concerns of how the league may feel about what he says.

Scott used that newfound freedom to shed some light on the whole lead up to what turned out to be one of the most memorable NHL All-Star games in recent memory, and perhaps one of the best ever. The best part however was his hilarious story regarding his meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, one he said had him initially thinking he was a marked man.

From John Scott in the Player's Tribune:

I’m not exaggerating. I put my shoes back on and walked to the elevator. I was laughing to myself like, Am I about to get whacked?

I’d had zero contact with the commissioner since I was mysteriously traded from Arizona to Montreal and then immediately demoted to the St. John’s IceCaps in Newfoundland — literally the farthest point east in North America.=

But earlier that day, after I published my article on The Players’ Tribune that merely stated the facts of what had happened to me, a few guys in the league texted me stuff like, “Are you out of your mind?”

I had violated some sort of code, apparently.

Scott instead was pleasantly surprised when he was greeted by Bettman, who he says was very friendly, although how much Bettman's friendliness had to do with the way public sentiment had turned against the NHL will never truly be known.

When I got down to the lobby, Mr. Bettman was waiting for me. He smiled and shook my hand and was extremely nice. Nothing like Don Corleone. We sat down and he smiled again and said, “Listen, John, we’re happy to have you here.”

A little shocked, I said, “Ah, O.K.”

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Scott also had his own ideas about the motivations behind Gary Bettman's friendliness, pointing to the fact that he felt like the NHL commissioner was worried that Scott may pull some kind of stunt during the All-Star weekend.

It was like he was trying to smooth things over, but also like he was trying to feel me out.

At the end of our friendly conversation, he said, “So, are we O.K.?”

It was like he was nervous that I was going to cause a scene or something. And that’s when it dawned on me. Wait a second, does the commissioner think I’m like a pro wrestling bad guy?

Scott didn't try to hit anyone with a steel chair on the ice and the NHL All-Star game was one of the most successful for the NHL in the modern era, leaving both Scott and Bettman as the big winners at the end of the day.