Florida Panthers forward Shawn Thornton and Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Brown exist in the NHL for pretty much one reason. That reason, of course, is to try to add some physical play in their limited shifts and fight other players like themselves. Late in the first period of Tuesday's game in Montreal, they ended up doing just that when they exchanged punches in front of the benches for about 30 seconds.
Unfortunately for Thornton, he didn't get to throw enough punches.
Just as the fight appeared to be slowing down and coming to a stop, the linesman stepped in and separated the two combatants. This, as you can see in the video here via Hockeyfights.com, did not please Thornton who immediately started yelling at the linesman for getting involved.
Both players ended up earning five minute majors for fighting. The Panthers were winning the game 1-0 at the time thanks to Vincent Trocheck's 21st goal of the season. They added a second goal in the second period when Nick Bjugstad scored to give them a 2-0 lead.
