John Scott. (Or why the NHL is finally ready to kill off the goon.)

Oct 23, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman

(32) and Boston Bruins defenseman

(54) fight during the third period at First Niagara Center. Bruins beat the Sabres 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The battleship was once the mightiest ship in the water. Over time though, they were deemed to slow, too limited, and time had passed them by. In the world of hockey, the goon has gone the way of the battleship. Only a handful of them remain in the NHL, and the most prominent example of ‘goonery’ in the National Hockey League is John Scott. John Scott’s stats were presented before the game, (186 games played, one goal and four assists, and 309 minutes in penalties.) and it’s clear he’s a relic from days gone by.

John Scott was expected to be the talentless hack in the game, and Scott did not disappoint. With the Bruins holding a two goal lead in the third period, John Scott comes out of nowhere to lay a hit on Loui Eriksson‘s head. Scott put so much force into the hit that John Scott went airborne. Eriksson spun to the ground, and needed help to get off the ice. For those of you who missed it, here is Scott’s hit in all its thugery.

Eriksson condition is unknown at this time, and the Bruins are obviously furious. Gold star for Adam McQuaid for engaging that palooka over the hit on Eriksson. A second gold star for getting the takedown in that severly mis-matched fight. The Bruins won 5-2, and improve their record to 6-2. The Buffalo Sabres are still winless at home, 1-9-1 for the season, and there has to be serious talk in Buffalo over how many people will still have jobs in the Sabres organization tomorrow.

The guys at NBCSN were merciless on the hit. Mike Milbury went after John Scott, invoking the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard. Milbury went practically ballistic on the entire organization. He was calling out Scott, coach Ron Rolston, general manager Darcy Regier, and the entire Sabres franchise. Milbury argued with a passion that quickly descended into pure caustic vitriol. Here is the entire rant made by Milbury. Even if I wasn’t a Bruins fan, I agree with every last word that came out of his mouth.

There is no need for this relic to remain on the ice. He was put on the team to be a stop gap in the post lockout season of 2005-06. He was supposed to be a short term solution, a band aid. Eight years later, the band aid has not been able to heal the wound, and it has started to rot. Gangrene has set in and now it’s time to amputate Scott right out of the league. The Department of Player Safety has already informed Scott that he will be having an in-person meeting.

The Bruins will be back on the ice tonight as they take on the much hotter (and much cleaner playing) San Jose Sharks at the TD Garden.