Shawn Thornton: A Role Model For All NHL Tough Guys

What makes a good hockey fight? A knockout is always nice to see as a fan. Blood will get the adrenaline pumping for others. When all is said and done though, there has to be a mutual respect between the combatants.

Just over a week ago, Shawn Thornton displayed great class and respect during a fight. I'm hoping most NHL fans are just as pleased to see it as I am. In a matchup between the Boston Bruins and Montreal at the Bell Centre, Georges Laraque was making his debut for the Canadiens.

I don't know if all of the fans were even in their seats, but Laraque and Thornton squared up less than three minutes in. Following a couple of swings, the big Laraque lost his balance and fell to the ice.

Where many would have either swung while he was down, or just pinned him to the ice, Thornton allowed Laraque back on his feet. Keep in mind, Laraque is one of the most feared fighters in the NHL.

"I'm not that guy to finish somebody off when they're down," Thornton said.

"I think there's a lot of respect among us with our jobs. It's a couple things -- bad karma and too much respect for the job he does to throw punches while he's on the ground. He threw a punch, lost his footing, and went over the top. His momentum took him down. I don't think it's fair to hit somebody when he's on the ground. What goes around comes around. I wouldn't want to be on the bottom with him throwing punches either."

The actions of players like Ryan Hollweg and Chris Simon (in the past), are what give people the idea that hockey is a dirty, cheap, and trashy sport. Who can blame them?

You shouldn't judge a sport by one game, however, many will. What if, the first game you watched was the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the St. Louis Blues this year? You'd see Ryan Hollweg hitting rookie Alex Pietrangelo into the boards from behind.

This is an 18 year-old kid, and he's getting cheap shotted by a fellow with a few year's of NHL experience. It's easy to think, 'if this is how they treat their rookies, then I don't even want to see what the veterans do to one another'.

It's plays like this that give the game of hockey a bad reputation. Someone will eventually clean Hollweg's clock and put him in his place. Of course, that's if he actually has the nerve to fight someone.

In the meantime, Shawn Thornton's code of ethics shown in the scrap with Laraque should be praised by fans and players. Hockey will continue to get a good name for itself through actions like this.