The Punchline

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 ( and his book ( "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. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup ( Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab ( today. Follow our show on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

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The Punchline is an episode from Radiolab by WNYC Studios.

This episode is 00:50:33 long.

This episode was published on Jan 16, 2026.

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