Another familiar face will visit TD Garden on Tuesday night.
Former Boston Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton will take the ice as a member of the Florida Panthers when the teams face off at the Garden. The reunion comes just over a week after ex-Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk returned to Boston in a New York Islanders uniform.
Thornton, who won the 2011 Stanley Cup with the Bruins, knows his return will be emotional.
“It was a great seven years there,” Thornton told the Boston Herald. “It is going to be different, that’s for sure. I’d never played in the Garden before I got there, so this will be my first time in the visitor’s dressing room, so that will be new. It’ll be interesting, but I’m just going to embrace it and enjoy it.”
Thornton is known for his physical play rather than his scoring ability, but that hasn’t affected his priorities entering Tuesday’s game.
“What I want (is) to score a goal on Tuukka (Rask),” Thornton said. “Yeah, that’s what I really want to do.”
Thornton has only one fight under his belt so far this season, a bout with New Jersey Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador.
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