Thornton an ideal teammate, leader in first season with Panthers
In his first season with the Florida Panthers, veteran enforcer Shawn Thornton was seen making an impact with his words far more often than his fists.
On a team overflowing with up-and-coming players, Thornton was one of several free agents brought in by the organization last summer in an effort to add leadership and experience to a fledgling locker room.
And although a nagging groin injury limited him to just 46 games, the 37-year-old forward lived up to his reputation as an ideal teammate and a vocal leader with the ability to transition seamlessly between a stern leader and a carefree joker.
"I loved it," Thornton said of his first year with the Panthers. "It was a tough year, injury-wise, and I wish I could have contributed more, but as far enjoying the team, the area, and all that stuff, it's been unreal."
While many expected him to be nothing more than the Panthers resident pugilist upon his arrival, Thornton prides himself on being much more than a run-of-the-mill brawler. He dropped his gloves a career-low six times this past season, but remained an agitator on the ice and never shied away from a scrum.
"He competes hard," head coach Gerard Gallant said of Thornton in January. "He's a character guy and he's really good for our locker room and good for our team."
Although Thornton only has one year remaining on his contract -- and possibly in the NHL -- his contributions to the Panthers will be felt well beyond the upcoming season and his passion for the game will hopefully resonate with his teammates for some time.
He has helped instill a playoff-or-bust mentality into his teammates and, if Thornton has his way, the Panthers will no longer be on the outside looking in at the postseason.
"We believe in this team and we fell short," said Thornton, who made eight consecutive trips to the playoffs before joining the Panthers. "It still pisses me off. It's not acceptable, but we believe in this group. I think we're a good enough team to compete, be in a playoff spot and compete in the playoffs.
"If you look at this year, there wasn't a team that dominated us at all. A lot of time we controlled the pace of play against supposedly the best teams in the league. I like this group and you hope that you get the chance to prove it as a team next year."
WHAT HE DID RIGHT
Even when he was out of the lineup, Thornton was never far from his teammates. He played an integral role in helping craft the team's tight-knit locker room and always kept the mood light during practices. He's the type of player that always expects better of himself and, in turn, brings out the best in his teammates.
WHERE HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
While he'll never be graded on his ability to generate offense, even Thornton admitted that he wasn't happy with his point total this past season. He registered just five points -- his fewest since becoming a full-time NHL player -- and he'll need to be able to produce more on offense in order to merit more ice time.
BEST GAME
Nov. 11 vs. San Jose. Thornton recorded one assist and a plus-2 rating to help lead the Panthers to a 4-1 victory over the Sharks. It was also in this contest that Thornton played the fourth-most minutes of his season, skating for 12:28 as Florida's fourth line controlled possession during the majority of their shifts while contributing to two scores.
ADVANCED STATS
Thornton is the kind of player whose contributions shouldn't be measured by advanced statistics. I know the hockey world is currently split on whether or not character and heart make a significant impact on a team's success, but I remain a firm believer that they do. That being said, Thornton's Corsi For rating of 49.23 percent at even strength this past season was actually fairly good for a fourth-line player.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
LOOKING AHEAD
Thornton is entering the final season of a two-year, $2.4 million deal he signed as a free agent last offseason. And although he jokingly admitted that he was already "living off borrowed time" at this point in his career, the grizzled veteran says he plans to approach this offseason like any other.
"I'm going into my 19th year pro, I prepare every offseason the same way," Thornton said. "You gotta work a little bit harder every year when you're creeping up, but I enjoy that part of it. I love the training and all of the extra stuff. That doesn't feel like work, it's enjoyable to me."
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
