Shawn Thornton drew a 15-game suspension for aggressively attacking Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik in 2013.
The incident occurred during a December 7, 2013 game between the Boston Bruins and Penguins. Thornton approached Orpik during a stoppage, brought him to the ice, and continued punching him after he was down. Orpik suffered a concussion, while Thornton received a match penalty and was later suspended by the NHL.
The 15-game punishment was one of the most significant suspensions of the 2013–14 NHL season. The league cited Thornton's deliberate escalation and the fact that the assault continued after Orpik was unable to defend himself. Thornton appealed the decision, but the suspension was upheld.
The wording sometimes causes confusion because “aggression Brooks Orpik” is grammatically incomplete; the intended meaning is aggression toward Orpik. It is also easy to confuse this episode with earlier Bruins-Penguins incidents involving other players, but Thornton was the Boston player disciplined with the 15-game suspension.