Thornton all lined up
Bruins star checks out Switzerland in case there's an NHL lockout
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
Before Joe Thornton reported to Team Canada's training camp, he made a stop in Davos, Switzerland to meet the guys who could be his new teammates after the World Cup.
With an NHL lockout looming, the Boston Bruins star confirmed to the Sun yesterday that he spent a week this summer skating with the Swiss league's HC Davos -- the team he'll play for if there's no hockey in North America this fall.
And Thornton said he doesn't expect to be alone overseas. While it's known that Columbus forward Rick Nash has already agreed to a contract, Florida forward Niklas Hagman also plans to play in Davos this season.
"My hope, and I think everybody is hoping, is that we'll have something in place by Sept. 15 and we'll be able to go to training camp like we normally do," said Thornton. "If that's not the case, then there's something to fall back on.
"I would guess that if something isn't done, then guys will wait a couple of weeks before deciding what they're going to do. I would think that guys would start wanting to play by the end of the (September) and you're going to see more than a few players going to Europe if there's no NHL."
Thornton, who scored a one-year, $6.75-million US contract from the Bruins last week in arbitration, said his agent, J.P. Barry, held talks with teams in Russia and Sweden before accepting HC Davos' offer.
Davos, which is located in the Alps, plays host to the Spengler Cup every Christmas.
Thornton said he had concerns about playing in Russia, but liked the idea of going to Switzerland after playing there in the 1997 world junior championship.
"Everything I've heard about Davos has been good and it seems like they're going to have a pretty strong team from what I saw," said Thornton. "It seemed like the right place for me. Plus, Switzerland is a beautiful country and that really appealed to me."
Right now, Thornton's focus is on playing for Canada in the World Cup. And he's looked solid on a line with San Jose's Patrick Marleau and Atlanta's Dany Heatley.
The scuttlebutt around camp is that the trio could emerge as Canada's top line.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity to play for Canada," said Thornton. "Right now, we're just trying to get used to playing together."
