Campbell/By S. Bradley

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Two seasons ago, Gregory Campbell contributed a career-high 13 goals for the Florida Panthers. That same season, Bruins winger Shawn Thornton also set a personal best with six scores for the Black and Gold.

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Thornton/By S. Bradley

NHL players meet up with friends and relatives all over North America during road trips all season long.

One Bruins player is going to get that same opportunity while the team is in Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend.

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Thornton (center) and his golfing partners

MIDDLETON, Mass. – Not too long after he passed on unrestricted free agency and re-signed with the Bruins, Shawn Thornton announced plans to hold the charity golf tournament he’d been dreaming of for a while.

However, after the announcement turned dreams into reality, he suffered some slight nightmares.

“In late June, I was sitting there; we hadn’t really gotten going yet. I lost a couple hours sleep thinking about it, that’s for sure,” said Thornton today when asked about hoping there’d be enough participants to make the first Putts and Punches for Parkinson’s golf tournament a hit. “The support’s been great. Everybody I strong-armed in Charlestown came through.”

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Thornton/By S. Bradley

The Bruins and Shawn Thornton aren’t the only ones that are going to benefit from the two-year contract extension the rugged winger signed with Boston earlier this summer.

Now that he has been able to put down roots in Boston for a little while longer, Thornton will be able to do more for the community, including research and awareness of Parkinson’s disease.

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Thornton/By S. Bradley

On a team wanting for “glue guys” all season long, Shawn Thornton was a “super glue guy” through the thick and thin of the Bruins’ inconsistent 2009-10 campaign.

No one paid a bigger physical toll for the benefit of the Bruins, as Thornton racked up an amazing 21 fighting majors in just 74 games (the Bruins were 13-4-3 in games Thornton fought). His leadership and work ethic were a rare constant on an up-and-down club, even if his offensive game non-existent.

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… to your regularly scheduled blogging.

Wow, a lot happens while you’re in surgery-induced pain and Percocet fog. First Shawn Thornton re-signs, and now Dennis Seidenberg is back in the fold with a four-year deal worth a reported $3.25 cap hit. That general manager Peter Chiarelli got that done is impressive because Seidenberg would’ve had numerous suitors come July 1. (more…)

Recchi/By Sharon Bradley

Without getting into specific names of players, we know a few things about the Bruins’ offseason game plan.

General manager Peter Chiarelli is going to try to upgrade his league-worst offense, retain the services of his three solid free-agent defenseman and open some spots up front for the eventual No. 2 draft pick and a couple prospects by letting some free agents walk away.

Two players, however, that shouldn’t be allowed to even get on the open market July 1 – let alone leave – are wingers Mark Recchi and Shawn Thornton, who both provide elements to the Bruins on and off the ice that would be difficult to replace. (more…)

PHILADELPHIA — Prior to the Bruins departing for Philadelphia for Game 3 and 4, winger Shawn Thornton sat in the Ristuccia Arena dressing room after a practice and wondered how Blake Wheeler would fare on another line after spending a couple games in a trio with Thornton and Steve Begin.

After all, Milan Lucic had skated a couple of contests on Boston’s grind line and then just a couple games after he switched units he buried the game-winning goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Flyers. Thornton wondered out loud if he and Begin should be getting some sort of assistant coach credit or paycheck.

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Thornton

BOSTON — After the Bruins’ morning skate at TD Garden today, Shawn Thornton called his shot when asked about replacing the injured Marco Sturm in the lineup for tonight’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with Philadelphia.

“If I get 10 minutes of power-play time tonight, you can expect me to get four goals,” said Thornton, who has never scored more than six goals in a season and scored just once in 2009-10. (more…)

Thornton

BOSTON — At both Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass., and at TD Garden, Shawn Thornton’s dressing room stall is in a corner.

But regardless of the situation, he never sits in that corner and pouts. He handles every inquiry with professionalism and keeps an upbeat attitude that rubs off on his teammates. Even the notion that he might be a healthy scratch for tomorrow’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with Philadelphia hasn’t ruined his disposition. In fact, it’s made his work ever harder — if that’s possible.

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After Columubus’ Mike Blunden took some liberties with Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask in the third period last night, Chuck Kobasew stood up for the rookie netminder.

Separately, Shawn Thornton then decided to send a message to Blue Jackets tough guy Jared Boll. Here’s an up-close-and-personal look at the bout that earned Thornton a game misconduct, courtesy of Sharon Bradley Photography: (more…)

Thornton

Whether he likes the moniker or not, Shawn Thornton is a fourth-liner for the Boston Bruins. That’s actually a positive because it means that in an NHL where every contending team can roll out at least three scoring lines, the Bruins are adequately deep and can lean on Thornton and other players of his ilk to do the dirty work in 10- or 12-minute stints. (more…)

Thornton

The Boston Bruins’ leader in fighting majors with 17, Shawn Thornton proved to be so much more than a banger with steel knuckles this season. It seemed like the veteran winger’s work ethic never took a night off, as he skated in 79 games and made sure that calling his line the fourth line was a bit of a misnomer.

Thornton set career bests in goals and points and jelled with center Stephane Yelle, and the pair and whichever winger that joined them always kept the heat on opposing defenses and made sure that head coach Claude Julien could roll four lines and not wear out any of his skill guys. (more…)

Thornton

He has been as reliable as they come for two seasons in black and gold, so it should come as no surprise that winger Shawn Thornton holds no ill will despite his being a healthy scratch for the first time this season for Game 4 of the Boston Bruins’ Eastern Conference semifinal series with Carolina Friday night in Raleigh.

While Thornton sat, rookie Byron Bitz got in the lineup for the first time in the series. The Bruins still fell to go down 3-1 in the series.

“Bitzy’s a great hockey player and they put him in to create some energy and I thought he played really well. So good for him,” said Thornton after practice today in Wilmington, Mass.

“Whatever it takes. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up with the ‘W.’ But it’s not about me this time of year, it’s about the team,” the rugged forward continued. “Whatever the decision is, everything the coaching staff does is for the team. And I just want to be a part of that. So whatever decision is made, I support it fully.” (more…)

Yelle and Thornton are the Hawk and Animal of the Bruins.

Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien laid down the gauntlet after his team’s meeting Monday, the morning after its lackluster effort in its Game 2 loss to Carolina.

“I think our fourth line, it was all about work ethic (Sunday) night. And they worked hard. They forechecked, they finished their checks, they created some opportunities. And had we had the rest of the guys with that same sort of focus, we would’ve had, probably, better results.”

When asked about Shawn Thornton and Stephane Yelle, the two mainstays of the fourth line, in particular, Julien continued:

“You switch a guy here or there, and overall, that’s their role, they know that. You hope that your other lines can inspire themselves by them when they’re out there coming back after a good shift, you’d like to have a follow-up.” (more…)