Thornton was game for it

HAMILTON, Ontario -- Bruins captain Joe Thornton had to come up with 23 tickets last night for friends and family to watch him play his first NHL exhibition game in two years. The native of St. Thomas, Ontario, (about 90 minutes from Hamilton) suited up against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the exhibition opener and said it was a thrill to finally be back at it.

''I know a lot of people from around this area and they've been dying for hockey for a long time," said Thornton. ''So now they can finally see it. Everyone wants to catch the first one."

Thornton said it was nice to play against someone other than his own teammates, who have been together since full camp opened Sept. 12.

''It's exciting for us," he said. ''We've been playing with and against each other for about 10 days now.

''I think it's exciting for the young guys who are playing their first game, especially against the Maple Leafs. We've got some good young guys coming up, some big defensemen. A lot of guys have left an impression on me."

Thornton had an excellent year away from the NHL. He was on Team Canada's gold medal-winning World Cup squad, then spent a season playing for Davos, which won the Swiss Elite League title. He skated in the World Championships in Austria, with Canada earning a silver medal. He's hoping that experience will help make him a better player and leader at age 26.

''I'm still young and I'm still learning," said Thornton. ''I still want to get better as a player. Gradually, I think I'll become a better captain as time comes. With the guys in the locker room, there are a lot of former captains and former assistant captains and a lot of team leaders."

With the Canadian team, Thornton was around veterans such as Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman, and he tried to absorb as much as he could from them.

''It's nice to be around All-Stars and future Hall of Famers and, obviously, captains of their teams," he said. ''They don't really say too much, because we had the best team winning the World Cup and [placing second] in the World Championships.

''Everyone goes out and does their job and everyone is pretty quiet at what they do. It's interesting how different guys look at games and how they get ready in different situations. It's always nice when you play with elite players, to see how they react."

He said he still cherishes the lessons Ray Bourque taught him when he was just starting out.

''Playing with arguably the best defenseman of all time, you can definitely learn a lot from him, and I did learn a lot from him," he said. ''Playing in these tournaments, you meet so many different guys. They've all been good experiences for me. I've played with some great players, and, obviously, they passed down a lot to me."

Shaky start

The new rules were supposed to result in offensive juggernauts. Last night they did. Well, at least for the Leafs. The Bruins got off to a shaky start at Copps Coliseum, falling behind by a pair of goals in the first period, and it only got worse as they dropped a 5-0 decision. Center Jeff O'Neill beat goalie Hannu Toivonen during a five-on-three advantage with a shot from the right point at 6:51 of the first. Just 1:17 later, right wing Ben Ondrus scored at even strength with a one-timer from the slot. The Bruins had a five-on-three of their own for 1:26 but couldn't convert. Toronto goalie Ed Belfour looked to be in midseason form. In 30:45, he stopped all 14 shots he faced before turning the reins over to J.F. Racine. Both Brad Isbister and Brad Boyes had great chances in the second period but Belfour turned them back. Toronto's third goal, by Mariusz Czerkawski, came at 11:05 of that period. Bruins left wing P.J. Axelsson almost put his team on the board at 17:34 but his shorthanded bid glanced high off the left post. Darcy Tucker made it a four-goal bulge when he scored on the power play with 51.4 seconds left. In the third, Tim Thomas replaced Toivonen, who had 17 saves. Thomas gave up a power-play goal to John Pohl with 2:18 remaining. Boston was its own worst enemy, giving Toronto 14 power plays while having just four.

Gill shrugs it off

Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said reports that the team is attempting to trade veteran blue liner Hal Gill to open up salary cap space for Nick Boynton are without merit. ''There's no truth to that whatsoever," said the GM. Gill said he heard the rumors but didn't put much stock in them after speaking with O'Connell. ''I talked to him and he said not to worry about it, so I won't worry about it," said Gill. ''This is a funny game where if something happens and they can't turn it down, then they're going to deal me. If you can't sign a guy, do you trade someone to make room for him? We don't know how that's all going to pan out." O'Connell added that there was nothing new on Boynton . . . Coach Mike Sullivan said forward Dave Scatchard's groin pull isn't minor. ''Right now he's week to week," Sullivan said. ''We'll have to see. He'll go through his rehab this week and we'll go from there." . . . Neither defenseman Brian Leetch nor assistant general manager Jeff Gorton made the trip; both were with wives who were giving birth. It is the third child for Leetch and his wife, Mary Beth, who were in New York City, and the second for Gorton and his wife, Cyndi.