Shawn Thornton’s Desk Job
Shawn Thornton traded the penalty box for the front office
While Thornton will still participate in occasional on-ice clinics and community events, the 39-year-old is now an office man. Thornton’s primary work station was in the penalty box. Now his desk is on the suite level at the BB&T Center, surrounded by the sales, marketing, community relations, and corporate sponsorship departments.
“I’m right in the middle,” Thornton said. “It looks like a trading floor on Wall Street. It’s very open. No cubicles. Myself and [chief of staff] Sean McCaffrey are right in the middle, so if anybody needs anything, I’m right there. Right in the mix.”
Part of the ease with which Thornton transitioned out of his skates is because of the job he performed while wearing them. Thornton won Stanley Cup rings with the Ducks in 2007 and Bruins in 2011. He developed into a trustworthy fourth-liner whose forechecking created chances and hockey sense limited opposing opportunities. In 2012, Thornton dropped jaws when, on a penalty shot, he faked forehand on Ondrej Pavelec and tucked a bar-down backhander over and behind the Winnipeg goalie.
