Chicago Blackhawks: John Scott Was 100 Percent Right To Brawl After Cheap Shot

Chicago Blackhawks enforcer John Scott rarely gets the chance to live up to that moniker. Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, however, he embodied the old-time hockey practice of sticking up for a teammate.

And he was absolutely correct in doing so.

The Blackhawks went down 3-2 to the Penguins, but Scott's Steeltown Showdown with Deryk Engelland was a lightning rod for opinion throughout the Blackhawks fan base. There's a lot to debate on either side of the fighting fence, but one thing rings true to me.

You can't blame Scott for being a scorpion.

I'm referring to the old fable about the scorpion and the frog. If you decide not to link to the whole fable, here's the Reader's Digest version:

Scorpion stings Frog despite the fact that doing so will also kill the Scorpion (they're crossing a river).

Frog asks "Why?"

Scorpion explains "It is my nature."

The circumstances leading up to Scott's bout are as follows:

Two nights before, Brent Seabrook gets boarded by Rene Bourque.

Midway through the first period, Marcus Kruger is engaged with Pascal Dupuis along the boards and just entering the Penguins' zone.

Engelland skates over, leaves his feet and brings his upper arm right up into Kruger's head.

Scott, trailing the play on defense, immediately comes over...cue the ring girls.

Scott made quick work of Engelland, as expected, opening a cut above his foe's left eye. It was a big moment in what was then a scoreless game due to the penalties assessed following the bout.

Scott received a five-minute fighting major, a 10-minute misconduct and a two-minute instigation penalty.

Engelland was sent to the box five minutes for fighting. No infraction was called for his blatant head shot on Kruger.

Pittsburgh scored on the resulting power play to take the lead, and the goal proved to be the margin of victory. By the way, Viktor Stalberg had a huge third period, and Joel Quenneville may have found a winning line combination with him along with Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.

There was a lot to take away from this game, to be sure. Let me focus my thoughts on the Murdersaurus, however.

I have many opinions on Scott and have not been shy about expressing them concerning his skill (or lack thereof). In all, Scott skated just over five minutes and took a penalty that factored into the 'Hawks defeat.

Believe it or not, I'm okay with that this time.

Why? Because unlike other Scott cameos in his two seasons with the club, he did what he was brought in to do. I can't get behind the yelping that Scott cost the 'Hawks the game and should have just skated away.

This wasn't Scott trolling the opponent's bench for a dance with a fellow pugilist. It wasn't Bryan Bickell coming up swinging after a legal hit put him on his butt.

This was defending a skill player (Kruger) who had been flattened illegally by an much bigger opponent. In short, it was scorpion time. If the 'Hawks had to lose this game because of Scott dispensing the only justice handed out on the ice, so be it.

To me, this type of play is a rallying point for Chicago. This can only bring the team closer as a unit. I don't advocate an epidemic of dropped gloves (put the visor back on, Bickell), but occasionally we need a player like Scott to make a stand.

I'm against fighting for the sake of fighting and am well aware of the sad road a player of Scott's ilk likely faces. I constantly question the decisions to go with Scott in the lineup on either side of the puck, but those questions are squarely aimed at Quenneville and the front office.

I urge you to listen to his interview on WGN radio after Sunday's game. It's hard not to like a guy who comes to work with his attitude.The guy has a child on the way in the next week or so. He is doing the best with what meager hockey skills he has, and he accepts his role.

"I'm always going to stand up for my teammates," Scott said to the press after the game. "I'm going to do that every time. No matter who it is."

Some folks are dog-piling Scott for playing to his nature. However, I can't jump on the pile when the scorpion stings in defense of a teammate.