TORONTO -- If you weren't paying close attention, you might have thought it was Jaromir Jagr carrying the puck into the Toronto Maple Leafs' zone and driving hard to the net in search of a goal.
It wasn't. Nope, it was Boston Bruins fourth-line right wing Shawn Thornton, a player who normally makes his exclamation point with his fists. The right-shooting Oshawa native who grew up a stone's throw away from Toronto, accepted a pass at the Maple Leafs blue line, cruised in along the left boards and made a beeline for the net, causing goaltender James Reimer to make a splits save.
Didn't know you had it in you, Shawn.
"You act surprised," Thornton said. "You don't have the NHL Network? You didn't see my penalty shot goal last year?"
All kidding aside, Thornton is a classic case of a player who was down, but never out. He played the first seven years of his career in the minors, but now has two Stanley Cup rings; one won with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and the other with the Bruins in 2011. Although he continues to play the role of the enforcer, he said he has grown comfortable with reining in his emotions in the playoffs.
"I've been doing this for a long time and over the years I have found the line, or at least close to it, that you cannot cross this time of year," Thornton said. "I'm in my 16th year now and I don't put too much thought into it. I just go out and go about my business, to tell you the truth."
Thornton said he loves when the Bruins play in Toronto.
"I love the energy here," he said. "Mom and Dad were in the house last night and my sister and nephew will be here for the next game. It's almost like a home game for me. It's awesome playing here."
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