A little over halfway into Sunday's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers, something came to mind that reminded me of a popular toy of by-gone days.
Last Christmas, I bought my son a Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots game (yes, they still make 'em). As we were putting it together, he asked me why he couldn't take the red and blue pugilistic warriors out of the ring and have them go into battle with his action figures and such.
"Because they just fight each other," I explained. "The blue robot just fights the red robot in front of it until one knocks the other one's block off."
In July, Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman got himself a red robot. His name is John Scott.
And it's becoming evident that this pick up has been a mistake.
John Scott has not produced in a way that has added anything to the Blackhawks this season. This isn't personal. I think he's been a stand up guy as far as recognizing what his role is in the NHL. The trouble is that the role he plays is a dying breed in the league and will continue to be unless the NHL ever rescinds the instigator rule.
Scott signed a two-year contract with the Hawks this summer. The organization brought the former member of the Minnesota Wild to Chicago under three assumptions:
1. We needed an enforcer.
2. John Scott was an enforcer.
3. John Scott was a defenseman.
So far none of those assumptions have proved to hold water.
It didn't take long to realize that Scott was not worthy of minutes at defense, as he has enough problems skating forward. The trouble has been compounded by thinking Scott could get on the ice as a wing. After all, he was an enforcer, and we needed an enforcer.
The problem is (and Sunday's contest is a clear example of this) that John Scott is not an enforcer. He is a fighter.
I cringed when Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk talked about making a lineup change to accommodate the Flyers, even as the present lineup was finishing off a 4-1 win in Detroit Saturday afternoon. We've been rolling four lines lately, and everyone has been making a contribution. Why make a change?
In come the Flyers. Out goes Jack Skille. In comes Scott. The Hawks neutralize the fourth line for the duration of the game. Jake Dowell and Viktor Stalberg might as well be out there by themselves.
Now comes the really frustrating part.
There were two fights in the Hawks 4-1 loss. Bryan Bickell, who played a real physical game, dropped the gloves with Scott Hartnell in the first period. Then Daniel Carcillo came out to mess with the Hawks in the second period and someone decided to scrap. That player was...Dowell.
Where was Scott? He wasn't fighting because the only guy he was going to fight was Philly's fighter, Jody Shelly. Why? Because that's what Scott has done all season long. He is only going to face off against the other team's goon.
Just like the red robot.
He doesn't keep opposing goons from coming after our skill players. That would mean roughing them up in the flow of the game, and the big man simply is not able to do this. He doesn't deter most opponents. The only guy who has to worry about going up against him is the guy paid to fight anyway.
With the instigator rule, cementheads just can't maul someone to send a message or protect a teammate. Whether you think that's for better or worse, the fact is that the rule is in place. As a result, spontaneous fighting is a rarity in the league. Picking a fight these days is like trying to negotiate a prom date.
Scott doesn't even lead the Blackhawks in fights. Dowell, the action figure in my toy analogy, leads the team with eight. If you can't skate, can't defend and don't score, you'd better contribute with your fists. None of Scott's battles this year have been anything but a diversion from the hockey game Chicago was trying to win.
I concede that Scott is pretty adept at pounding the blue robot...er...I mean, opposing team's fighter. But his battles are fought only for the sake of fighting. They don't protect teammates. The Hawks are 3-4 in games in which Scott has dropped the gloves, so they don't guarantee victories.
Meanwhile, Chicago's depth has been compromised because of the roster spot taken up by a player who does not score or prevent goals.
Again, I don't blame this debacle on Scott. He strikes me as a hardworking guy who just wants a place in the NHL. Believe me, I respect the role he plays. Players of Scott's type have short shelf lives in pro hockey, because it's a tough job.
At the same time, Skille should not be sitting out games so that Scott can dance with the same cast of fighters with little benefit to the rest of the team. Nor should anyone else. The organization is making a mistake continuing to force a square peg into a round hole.
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