In a failure to curb his pugilistic impulses, Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton effectively decided that one penalty and an opposing goal during that penalty was not punishment enough for hunting Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik last Saturday.
A full week has passed, and the NHL’s player safety office has determined that a 15-game suspension (official league release linked here) will suffice as penance for Thornton’s injurious persistence. That was the sentence that Brendan Shanahan announced Saturday afternoon.
This marks the longest suspension so far in the 2013-14 season and the second-longest in the two-plus years since Shanahan assumed office.
On the one hand, protesters will point to the fact that Thornton is not a repeat offender, so this is too long of a suspension.
However, everything that led up to this incident outnumbers and outweighs anything that could factor in Thornton’s favor.
ESPN Boston reporter Joe McDonald may have made the most spot-on prediction when he tweeted Friday, “Thornton has never been suspended. Always handles his role perfectly. ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Al Daniel
Shawn Thornton Got Exactly What He Deserved with 15-Game Suspension
December 14th, 2013 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
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