Earlier today, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli made an announcement that they would not be bringing back left winger Shawn Thornton.
Shawn signed here as an unrestricted free agent in 2007. Nobody knew how great of a ride it would be.
Just four years later, the Bruins were raising the Stanley Cup in Vancouver and all the talk was about how the fourth line played a huge role in winning. Dubbed the "Merlot" line for the jerseys they wore in practice, Shawn Thornton, Greg Campbell and Daniel Paille have had a tremendous amount of success playing together.
People who just casually watch hockey may hear the name Shawn Thornton and think he is just another goon who likes to bash other guys heads in. But if you watch his game, listen to his teammates and see how much he does off the ice, Shawn deserves all the respect in the world. He is not the most skilled hockey player. He never has been and he never will be. Shawn can't skate the fastest, shoot the hardest, or play the best defense. But the guy brings so much more to the table than just dropping the gloves (Even though he can really bring it).
The first thing he brings is the will to win. He never settled for anything less than a win, and that is a big reason why he has won two Stanley Cups. Second, his presence. When Shawn Thornton is on the ice, there is a sense of safety for the teammates of number 22. He was an enforcer, but he made the game safer. Yes, this past year he had a hiccup when he was suspended 15 games for his little run-in with Brooks Orpik, but in general Shawn was policing all over the ice. When someone hit a teammate of Shawn's the wrong way, you better believe he took your number and tagged you on the next shift. Over time you could see so called "tough-guys" back off of hits because they knew Thornton was somewhere in the area. Another thing he brings is leadership. There was some talk about even giving him the "A" to wear on the front of his jerseys. That speaks volumes to the kind of guy he is in the locker room.
While the on-ice stuff Shawn brings can not be replaced by a Jordan Caron, Justin Florek, or anyone else really, neither can what he does off the ice and in the community. Not only does Thornton visit hospitals, do television appearances, and help out in his current home of Charlestown, but he has a foundation in his name. The Shawn Thornton Foundation is a charity that helps people who have been effected by cancer and Parkinson's disease. He is also heavily involved in the Jimmy Fund.
Every now and then there is just one of those guys who comes along that can't be replaced. In this instance, it isn't for the skill and points put up on the board. It is for the heart and soul of a team for seven years, standing up and owning responsibility in the worst of times, and taking the fall for the teams failures. It is too bad the Bruins aren't able to find a spot for the glue that keeps them stuck together. The game of hockey is built on respect and honor, and nobody embodied that more than Shawn Thornton did. I want to thank Shawn Thornton for everything that he did for this organization, but even saying that isn't enough for all that he did. I hope that there are teams out there who understand how good it is to have a player like Thornton on their team, because he deserves it.
