TORONTO (Ticker) - Joe Thornton had his arbitration case settled
Tuesday when he was awarded a $6.75 million, one-year contract,
which will be accepted by the Boston Bruins.

Last season, Thornton made $5.5 million.

Thornton, who has served as the Bruins' captain the past two
seasons, led the team in scoring in 2003-04 with 73 points,
including a club-high 50 assists. He appeared in his third
consecutive All-Star Game but was held without a point in
Boston's seven-game loss to Montreal in the Eastern Conference
quarterfinals.

"We feel that the arbitrator came up with a fair award for both
sides and we never considered exercising our walk-away option
with Joe," Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said. "As I've
said before, Joe is a cornerstone of this franchise. He has
developed into one of the top all-around players in the league
today and I believe that Joe's best is still to come."

The first overall pick of the 1997 draft, Thornton has 160 goals
and 261 assists in 509 career games. The 25-year-old enjoyed
his best season in 2002-03, when he posted career highs with 36
goals and 65 assists, finishing third in the NHL scoring race.

An Ontario native, Thornton, who has scored 20 goals in five
consecutive seasons, will represent Canada in the upcoming World
Cup of Hockey later this month.