Being an "old school" hockey player, you might think Los Angeles Kings Scott Thornton doesn't like all the new changes the NHL has made.

Wrong! In fact, you couldn't find a bigger cheerleader for the new and improved NHL than Thornton.

"The rules have been changed to make the game faster," he said right before the Kings were to play the Colorado Avalanche in the 10th annual "Frozen Fury" preseason game in Las Vegas, in which the Kings' won in a shootout 3-2.

He also said something that all the hockey haters may find surprising, "There is less stick work now and the sport is cleaner."

The NHL is also proposing a different, and according to Thornton and many other players, a better schedule.

What the league is proposing, is that teams from the west play teams from the east a little more often.

"It's good," Thornton said. "It gives our fans a chance to see players that we wouldn't see that often. I'd like to see Sidney Crosby(of Pittsburgh) play."

Not to mention going to cities that teams on the west coast don't see that much.

Being "old school," one would expect Thornton's favorite hockey player growing up would be former Toronto Maple Leaf great, Darryl Sittler.

His favorite NHL cities? Where else but two of the "Original Six" hockey cities, Toronto and Montreal.

During the off season, or whenever he can, Thornton likes to ride his BMX bike through the roads and mountains of California.

He rode a bike as a kid growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, but he really got into cycling when he played for the San Jose Sharks.

"I enjoy the freedom I get from riding my bike," he said, sounding like a kid with a brand new toy.

His former coach once told him to, "go out and have some fun."

After 17 years in the NHL, Scott Thornton is doing just that.