Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton has decided to appeal his 15-game suspension for punching and injuring unsuspecting Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. Thorntons agent, Anton Thun, confirmed in an email that his client was appealing. The NHL Players Association announced it had informed the league of that plan before the 48-hour deadline to do so passed. As laid out in the collective bargaining agreement, the appeal first goes to commissioner Gary Bettman. If Bettman upholds the suspension, Thornton and the NHLPA can then elect to appeal to a neutral arbitrator because it is for six or more games. Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta is the only player to use this appeals process under the new CBA, and no player has gone to the neutral arbitrator. Bettman upheld Kaletas 10-game suspension for an illegal hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson, issuing a 17-page decision. Thornton got 15 games for slew-footing Orpik to the ice and landing gloved punches to his head during a game Dec. 7. The Pittsburgh defenceman was knocked unconscious and has not played since because of a concussion. Vice-president of player safety Brendan Shanahan said it was not a spontaneous action by Thornton because he tried to confront Orpik earlier after Orpik injured Bruins winger Loui Eriksson with a hit. Appearing on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor on TSN 1050, Thun said he could not talk about the case before it was presented in the appeal hearing but did mention he felt there was more than one reason for Thornton to appeal his suspension. "We believe there are a variety of reasons to appeal it and part of it is just clarity… The clarity is not just Shawn but for the other players in the league." Thun was also asked if he was aware of when the appeal hearing will take place with Bettman. "To be the best of my knowledge the meeting will be later this week, Thursday and Friday have been thrown around but at this point in time it hasnt been confirmed." Thornton had not been fined or suspended before. Several general managers and coaches around the NHL have spoken in support of Thorntons character in his career before this incident. The Oshawa, Ont., native apologized for his actions after the game. Air Max 97 Just Do It White . -- Valentin Zykov scored in overtime as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar rallied to a 3-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Discount Air Max 97 . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points. http://www.outletairmax97.com/ . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Air Max 97 China Wholesale .com) - In the absence of Dwight Howard, Donatas Motiejunas had a career night to keep the Houston Rockets winning streak alive. Air Max 97 Mens Clearance . He insists hes not counting. "If youre thinking hits, youre not paying attention to wins," Altuve said Sunday after leading the Houston Astros past the Texas Rangers 3-2.NYON, Switzerland - Juventus was drawn to face Lyon in the Europa League quarterfinals as the Italian champions look to stay on course to play the final in their own stadium. FC Porto will meet Sevilla in a matchup between two former winners, while 2013 runner-up Benfica will take on AZ Alkmaar and FC Basel will play Valencia. Juventus was the team everyone wanted to avoid in Fridays draw, with Antonio Contes side currently 14 points clear in Serie A and likely to retain its Italian title with some ease. Lyon won seven straight league championships in France from 2002-08 but isnt the force of old and will be the underdog over the two legs on April 3 and 10. "Its a big one for us, how exciting to play in games like these," Lyon forward Jimmy Briand said on his Twitter page. Juventus, which was bumped intoo the Europa League after finishing third in its Champions League group, has added motivation to win Europes second-tier competition for a fourth time as the final is to be held at Juventus Stadium on May 14.dddddddddddd Sevilla, winner of the UEFA Cup — the pre-cursor of the Europa League — in 2006 and 07, came through a penalty shootout against local rival Real Betis in the last 16 on Thursday and was rewarded with a match against 2011 champion Porto. Portuguese leader Benfica is looking to reach the final for the second straight season and will be favoured to at least qualify for the semifinals, with AZ arguably the weakest team left in the competition. If Basel gets past Valencia, the Swiss team will emulate its run to the semifinals last season that ended with a loss against Chelsea. ' ' '