By Joe Haggerty
CSNNE.com
BOSTONA couple of days after Shawn Thornton fired a few verbal salvos at the Chicago Blackhawks players who chirped at him from the visiting bench as he skated off the ice with a giant slice over his right eye, the Blackhawks returned fire on Thursday.Thornton tumbled head first into the boards at TD Garden during Tuesday nights 3-0 win for Boston, and needed roughly 40 stitches to close a gash in his forehead after he made contact with Fernando Pisanis skate blade.Thornton was done for the rest of the night after the collision in the second period, but lunged at the Chicago bench as he skated off the ice toward the dressing room with his face ripped open and bloodied. Thornton said one of the Chicago playerswho has not been publicly identified, but wasnt Patrick Kanesaid something to the effect of get off the ice, you coward as he skated off the ice under his own power. That exchange led an enraged Thornton to start fighting through the hold of referee Don VanMassenhoven to get at the Chicago bench. Eventually the Bs enforcer went back to the dressing room for treatment as blood streamed down his face. Following the win, Thornton said he'd figure out a way to even the score when he found out the identity of the mystery Chicagochirper, and offered to send out "Christmas Cards" to any reporters that could track down the info for him.Two days later Blackhawks goon John Scottall 6-foot-8, 258 pounds of himfired back at Thornton for chasing after some of Chicagos smaller players during the game, and graphically said that hed beat the expletive out of Bostons tough guy."He said that? That's fine. He can say what he wants, said Hawks enforcer Scott to the Chicago Tribune. "He's going after some of our littlest guys on our team to start a fight. He's trying to challenge Fernando Pisani to a fight. What's that say about him?"He's Mr. Tough Guy and he's trying to challenge Pisani. If I'm in the lineup, he's more than welcome to come chirp at me. I'll kick the bleep out of him."Scott has dressed in a grand total of 40 games for the Blackhawks this season, and figured in on an assist along with 72 PIMs during that periodbut wasnt on the ice as a healthy scratch Tuesday night. The smack-talking defenseman said somewhat confusedly that Thornton was a stand up guy, but also got what was coming to him when he suffered an injury that could have given him permanent sight damage had it been a few inches south of his forehead."I dont know if I would chirp at an injured player, Thornton is a stand-up guy, said Scott. "I don't know who said anything, but he was kind of being cheap that game. So whatever. He gets what comes to him."Thorntons response to all this: "No comment."When reached by CSNNE.com via text to respond to Scotts comments, Thornton replied with a simple text of Who? before going with no comment after it was explained to him that Scott was a defenseman playing in the NHL for the Blackhawks.
Joe Haggerty can be reached at jhaggerty@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Joe on Twitter at http:twitter.comHackswithHaggs