Scott Mellanby

Scott Mellanby (born Scott Edgar Mellanby on June 11, 1966) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.

He primarily played right wing throughout his career, on occasion shifting over to the left side.

Playing Career
Scott was selected 27th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

After being drafted, he went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he played for two seasons. After his second season in the WCHA was finished, he promptly played his first two NHL games.

In 1989, Scott suffered a serious injury in a barroom brawl when he tried to help a friend and he wound up getting a severe cut from a broken beer bottle on his left arm. The cut sliced four tendons, a nerve and an artery in the arm.

Doctors repaired it through surgery, but Scott had been close to amputation. he would play for Philadelphia until the summer of 1991 when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-player deal that included Jari Kurri going to Philadelphia (though Kurri was traded to the Los Angeles Kings the same day).

Scott was left unprotected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft, allowing him to be claimed by the new Florida Panthers.

This was the team where Scott would have his best years.

In fact, he became a fan favorite in Florida when he killed a rat with his hockey stick in the team dressing room, spawning the "rat trick" craze, where fans would litter the ice with thousands of plastic rats after each Panthers goal. It was brought to the hockey world's attention during the Panthers' run to the final in 1996.

He also scored the Panthers' first ever goal in franchise history on October 9, 1993.

On February 9, 2001, Scott was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the rights of Dave Morisset and the Blues' 5th-round choice (Vince Bellissimo) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. While in St. Louis, he scored 57 points during the 2002–03 season, making it his highest total since 1996.

On July 26, 2004, he signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers and re-signed with them for the 2006–07 season.

On April 24, 2007, Scott announced his retirement, becoming the first player to retire as a Thrashers captain (the four previous Thrashers captains, were either traded or signed elsewhere via free-agency).

He left the game having played the 3rd most NHL games (with 1431) without a Stanley Cup victory, only behind Phil Housley (with 1495) and Mike Gartner (with 1432).

The closest that Scott came to the cup was when his Philadelphia Flyers lost to Edmonton in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, 4 games to 3.

Post-Playing Career
Following his retirement, Scott worked for three years in the Vancouver Canucks organization as a special consultant to general manager Mike Gillis and the hockey operations department.

He then spent two years as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues before stepping down following the 2011-12 season to pursue other opportunities in hockey.

On May 28, 2012, Scott was hired by the Montreal Canadiens as the Director of Player Personnel and became an assistant general manager on July 30, 2014.

Records

 * Most assists in a game by a Florida Panther, (4; shared with Ray Whitney)
 * Most power play goals in a game (4)

Personal Life
Scott and his wife, Susan have a daughter, Courtney and two sons Carter and Nicholas.

He also is involved in many autism-related causes as his son Carter is autistic. Along with fellow NHLers Olaf Kolzig and Byron Dafoe, Scott is a founder of Athletes Against Autism.