Shawn Thornton Red Sox Hat Photo: NHL Bans Bruin From Wearing Cap

Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins Was Reportedly Told Not To Wear a Red Sox Hat During 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Media Sessions. Doesn't the NHL Have Something Better To Do?

Boston Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton is the kind of player who New England fans can relate to: he's gritty, hard-working, and he likes the Boston Red Sox. What's not to like?

Plenty if you're the NHL. There are reports that NHL officials told Shawn Thornton to refrain from wearing a Red Sox hat during media sessions.

RDS reporter Renaud Lavoie wrote on Twitter:

"NHL told Shawn Thornton that he can't wear his Red Sox cap anymore when he's doing tv interviews."

Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog asked the league for confirmation, and an NHL spokesperson said that they did ask Thornton to ditch the Red Sox hat.

The spokesperson goes on to say that they discourage players from donning any kind of chapeau during interviews because it can obscure their face.

It shouldn't be a surprise that execs are micromanaging the Stanley Cup Finals. After all, that's what execs do.

But the Shawn Thornton Red Sox hat story does seem particularly petty and illustrates how marketing execs don't really understand a market like New England, where just about everybody wears a Red Sox hat (hopefully, not a pink one).

The league should be encouraging a guy like Shawn Thornton to wear a Red Sox hat because it will endear him to local fans. If anything, it could increase the bond between the fans and players like Thornton because it makes him seem like a real person rather than a walking billboard.

Instead, NHL execs are too worried about branding to see the bigger picture.

Here is a photo of Shawn Thornton wearing a Red Sox hat. You may never see something that again.