Shawn Thornton Named Third Star In Final Game At TD Garden
BOSTON (CBS) – Shawn Thornton is retiring as a member of the Florida Panthers. But he got a warm sendoff from the team he spent the majority of his career with.
Thornton took the first shift against the Bruins Saturday afternoon at TD Garden, where he played his home games for seven seasons.
After the game, which the Bruins won 5-2, Thornton was named the game's third star.
The forward game onto the ice to acknowledge the crowd and received a warm ovation.
Third Star ???? Shawn Thornton taking the ice at @tdgarden for the last time. pic.twitter.com/0Rij5KMBLy
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 1, 2017
Thornton described the emotional day to the media after the game.
"Definitely a little emotional," said Thornton, as transcribed by Joe Haggerty of CSNNE. "Didn't really sink in until (Patrice Bergeron) came over and said he loved me."
During his seven seasons in Boston, Thornton scored 34 goals and racked up 748 penalty minutes.