The next chapter for Shawn Thornton

By Olivia Lawrence 

RP Show Intern

Shawn Thornton has been a well-known name in the National Hockey League (NHL) for quite some time now. He played 705 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and won two Stanley Cup Championships in his NHL career. He was known as an enforcer in NHL games, the hockey world calls him one of the toughest guys to put the gloves on. Since his retirement after the 2017 season with the Florida Panthers, he has earned a new role with the Panthers as their Chief Commercial Officer. 

“I love my role, I’m very fortunate,” said Thornton on Monday’s episode of The Rod Pedersen Show. “I guess it is no different than my playing career right? If you do the work, stay resilient then you can be successful. So try and stay humble, just like I did when I was playing, and figure out a way to be the best at whatever my job description might be on that day.” 

Thornton was considered the underdog in his hockey career, he ultimately reached success, but it was not an easy journey for him to get there. Thornton expresses that in his new book, “Fighting My Way To The Top”, another opportunity he has pursued since his retirement.   

“I was asked three times to write the book, declined it three times before I actually said sure,” said Thornton. “I have a unique story, I fought a little bit of adversity to get where I was at. I was always probably the worst player on every team I played on, but ended up having a very successful career that I’m happy about.”

Thornton was not drafted into the Ontario Hockey League until his second year of midget. He saw a glimpse of the NHL in 1997 when he was an original draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round pick. However, he never got to play any games with the Leafs in his career. In 2002 he finally got his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks and his career took off from there. 

“So for somebody that is looking to quit or is unsure of how they’re going to get there, they can take this book and use it as motivation,” said Thornton. Apart from that, I genuinely think people should be involved in the community. And if you’re lucky enough to have a platform, you should use that platform to give back. I think those are the two main things coming out of this book.”

Rod Pedersen is currently reading Thornton’s  book and likes the role Thornton’s mom played in his hockey career and life. 

“If you’ve read that part of the book, you’ll see that my mom, dad, myself, and my wife are all cut from the same cloth, you always know where you stand whether you like it or not,” said Thornton. She’s very honest, to say the least. And she’s not wrong. I was not that focused until I needed to be focused. But yeah, I’m surprised to be where I am right now as well, but at the same time, it took a lot of hard work to get here.”

Thornton oversees partnerships for revenue streams, marketing, content, game press, foundation, and community outreach for the Panthers. His book, ‘Fighting My Way To The Top’, can be found at all bookstores near you.