Thornton will return to TD Garden on Tuesday night as a Florida Panther, and he’s excited for what lies ahead in his first game as a visiting player in Boston.
“It was great while I was here,” Thornton said Tuesday morning. “I’m hoping to get (a good) reception (from the fans). If they do, it’ll be appreciated. That’s for sure.”
In addition to Thornton’s on-ice contributions, including a role on the Bruins’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2010-11, he also was very generous to charitable causes in and around Boston.