SAN JOSE – Joe Thornton wasn’t pleased late in Thursday’s Sharks home loss to the Red Wings, as Detroit’s 2-1 win at SAP Center wound down.
In the closing seconds leading up to the final horn, the 36-year-old veteran targeted Luke Glendening in the faceoff circle, and after Gendening responded with some pushing and shoving, Thornton began wailing away on the 26-year-old fourth liner. He earned a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct, the only player penalized in what evolved into a 10-man scrum in the corner.
Was it frustration, or was he trying to send a message to his teammates that he was literally going to go down swinging?