Boston Spirit Magazine talked with Boston Bruins left winger Shawn Thornton about a number of gay-related issues. He added his voice to the growing number of players who say they just don’t care if a teammate’s gay:

Boston Spirit: What do you think would happen if one of your teammates announced he was gay?

Shawn Thornton: Honestly, my teammates are like family so there would be support. I would personally [support] him and I’m pretty sure everyone in our locker room would. We’ve got a pretty good bunch of guys. I don’t think there would be any issues.

Boston Spirit Magazine talked with Boston Bruins left winger Shawn Thornton about a number of gay-related issues. He added his voice to the growing number of players who say they just don’t care if a teammate’s gay:

Boston Spirit: What do you think would happen if one of your teammates announced he was gay?

Shawn Thornton: Honestly, my teammates are like family so there would be support. I would personally [support] him and I’m pretty sure everyone in our locker room would. We’ve got a pretty good bunch of guys. I don’t think there would be any issues.

He’s also pretty sure it wouldn’t be an issue on the ice:

BS: If a player did come out, would he get targeted more on the ice?

ST: It depends. There are some things said out there [during games] that probably shouldn’t be said, but the league is very good at clamping down on players that say anything derogatory. I’m not going to pretend that out of 740 guys [the total number of players in the NHL] that you aren’t going to find someone who says something inappropriate but I think, for the most part, it would be fine. I can’t speak for everyone, but for myself it wouldn’t be an issue.

You can read the whole interview at Boston.com.

PHOTO: March 27, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton (22) skates in the offensive zone during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE