John Scott, now with the Rangers, understands his role as an enforcer is to be a deterrent.  John Scott went to the Minnesota Wild in 2008 thinking there was not enough room in the lineup for him and Derek Boogaard. Scott was 6 feet 8 inches and 270 pounds; Boogaard was 6-9 and 255. Their shared specialty was intimidating opponents by decisively winning fights. But they became teammates and close friends. They went on vacations together. The bond endured, even after Boogaard signed with the Rangers and Scott became a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Now, in a sudden turn of events, Scott was acquired by the Rangers just before the trade deadline Monday. The Rangers are expecting him to be the enforcer they have missed since Boogaard died last May 13 from an overdose of alcohol and oxycodone.  “That really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Scott said of succeeding Boogaard. “But I’m sure it will when I put on the Rangers uniform. I think about him every day. I’m a Ranger now, and I still can’t believe my friend, the guy was everybody’s friend, isn’t around anymore. It’s kind of eerie that I’m following in his footsteps.”  In interviews after Boogaard’s death, Scott appeared to express some reluctance about his job as an enforcer.  “I don’t think people understand the nerves and the kind of mind-set that fighters go through,” Scott told reporters a week after Boogaard died. “I’ve stayed up nights not sleeping a wink because I know I’m going to fight someone the next day. It’s not natural to go out and fight every day.”  But in a conversation late Tuesday night, after he attended a Rangers fund-raising event in Manhattan, Scott said that he understood his role, had no anxiety about it and relished the opportunity to stand up for his new teammates.  “I think people can appreciate that my emotions got the best of me, especially so soon after Derek’s tragedy,” Scott said. “Who wouldn’t be thinking philosophically at a time like that? Derek had a problem, and it was devastating what happened to him. Thankfully, I don’t suffer from what he did.  “I know who I am and what I am in hockey. I haven’t changed my views about what enforcers do. We are there as a deterrent. I have no regrets about it, no hesitation. When I was in the lineup for the Blackhawks, you almost never saw our opponents get chippy with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. I’ll do the same for the Rangers.”  Scott, a 29-year-old Canadian, talks the way many of the tough guys in the N.H.L. do, but he followed a nontraditional path. While Boogaard fought his way through the Western Hockey League of the Canadian junior ranks, Scott played four years at Michigan Tech. As a freshman, he did not dream of playing in the pros and was just happy for the scholarship. By his junior year, he thought he had an outside chance of earning a living playing hockey.  “I could barely skate when I got to Michigan Tech,” Scott said. “My penalty minutes for my four years there were like between 60 and 100, but there was a difference. The first two years, most of the penalties were for things like tripping and hooking and holding — because I couldn’t keep up. Once my skating got strong, I was guilty more for stuff like roughing and boarding.”  Rangers General Manager Glen Sather said he traded a fifth-round pick to Chicago for Scott so he could take care of “the fooling around that happens this time of year.” Scott, who took shifts as a defenseman and forward with the Blackhawks, could also be useful in a potential playoff series against the Boston Bruins, the bruising defending Stanley Cup champions. The Rangers host the Bruins on Sunday, and Scott would love to suit up.  “The Bruins’ style of play is that they try to bully you,” Scott said. “It won’t work with us. I love that Mr. Sather is adding me to a roster with guys like Brandon Prust and Mike Rupp. We are team-tough throughout the lineup. If the Bruins think they can take liberties with us, think again.”  At practice Wednesday, Scott skated on a line with the 6-5 Rupp and John Mitchell, who is 6-1, before the Rangers departed for Thursday’s game at Carolina.  “It’s like they’re the twin towers, and I’m the bridge in between,” Mitchell said.  Coach John Tortorella indicated that Scott would not play against the Hurricanes, saying he liked the Rangers’ lineup and would not change it unless there were injuries. Ryan Callahan, who has a bruised foot, did not practice Wednesday.  Jeff Z. Klein contributed reporting from Greenburgh, N.Y.
John Scott, whom the Rangers acquired before the trade deadline, admits âitâs kind of eerieâ to follow in the footsteps of his close friend Derek Boogaard, who died last year.