Boston Bruins: Adam McQuaid Fights Shawn Thornton
The Boston Bruins have always been known for their hard-hitting, tough style of play. For seven seasons, Shawn Thornton was the Bruins go-to enforcer, and while it isn’t uncommon to see him fight, it’s certainly weird to see him fight against the Boston Bruins.
Shawn Thornton spent seven season with the Boston Bruins, and won a Stanley Cup win them in 2011. In his tenure with the Bruins, Thornton was able to total 76 points and 748 penalty minutes in 566 games. He also dropped the gloves 102 times. Shawn Thornton will forever be remembered and respected by Bruins’ fans for his role on the fan-favorite merlot line that was comprised of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, and Shawn Thornton.
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Whether it be a fight, a hit, or even a goal at times, Shawn Thornton truly embodied what a fourth-line energy forward should be in the NHL. Many Bruins’ fans will remember Shawn Thornton fighting in defense of his teammates on multiple occasions. One instance that really sticks out was his fight against Matt Cooke in the first game between the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins following Cooke’s hit to the head of Marc Savard.
In the second period of the Bruins’ game against the Florida Panthers, Adam McQuaid was called for boarding after hitting Panthers’ forward Logan Shaw. Shawn Thornton, the ex-Bruin and ex-teammate of Adam McQuaid took it upon himself to let McQuaid know that hits like that wouldn’t be tolerated. Clearly Thornton leaves his personal life and professional life separate because he didn’t hold back against his former teammate at the end of the fight following a fairly restrained bout by both parties.
Shawn Thornton and Adam McQuaid get reacquainted, with Thornton instigating their little get togetherhttps://t.co/i2CQ1M5ZpI
— Stanley Cup of Chowder (@cupofchowdah) March 8, 2016
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Thornton was assessed five minutes for fighting, two for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct for the fight, something the veteran forward is all too familiar with. During his time with the Bruins, Thornton went four straight years in the top-five of fighting majors in the NHL while leading the Bruins in fighting majors in six of his seven seasons with the team.
Following Shawn Thornton joining the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2014-15 season, the Bruins fell down the standings in terms of fighting majors, tied for 14th in the league with only 27 fighting majors on the year. Both Gregory Campbell and Adam McQuaid were tied for first on the Bruins with five fights apiece. Shawn Thornton, meanwhile, had six out of the Panthers’ 16 fighting majors that season.
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Boston will always be home for Shawn Thornton, but it’s good to see him continue his career in Florida on a team that are legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup this season. Shawn Thornton has always been a team-first player, and whether it’s the Boston Bruins or any of the other 28 teams in the league, Shawn Thornton has proven time-and-time again that he will help his team in any way he can.