Does a main-gauche stop hits from a thrown weapon?

[Reaper Steve]

My son and I played our first two games of Melee yesterday and really enjoyed them!

The post title has our first question:
Does a main-gauche stop hits from a thrown weapon?
Since the game distinguishes between thrown and missile weapons, and the m-g specifies 'non-missile,' I think RAW allows for them to stop a hit from a thrown weapon as long as it's from a front hex.
But knocking javelins and axes from the sky with a parrying blade seems odd to me. Does range matter? In other words, does 'front hex' mean the attacker must be in an adjacent front hex, or can he be at range as long as the weapon flies through a front hex?