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PHT Morning Skate: Blue Jackets season-ticket holder continues buying seat for late girlfriend

Arizona Coyotes v Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 14: A general view of Nationwide Arena as the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Arizona Coyotes on November 14, 2015 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

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--The Buffalo Sabres have done a great job making a difference in their community. The team’s foundation typically donates over $500, 000 per year to various charitable organizations around the city, and the players spend countless hours helping people in need. (Buffalo News)

--Dylan Strome broke camp with the Arizona Coyotes, but he ended up being returned to his junior team in November. Even though he wasn’t planning on being at the World Junior Hockey Championship, Strome has embraced his role as a leader on Canada’s squad. “It’s pressure for Canadians, but it’s good pressure. You want to be the guy. You want to be the next [Jordan] Eberle. You want to be the guy that scores the goal or be on the team [that wins],” he said. (Canadian Press)

--This Columbus Blue Jackets season-ticket holder continues to buy a seat for himself and his late girlfriend, who used to attend games with him before her death in 2011. “I keep it because it’s her seat. She is there, she is at the game. Can you ever imagine what will happen when we get into the Stanley Cup final and she doesn’t have a seat?” (Columbus Post-Dispatch)

--Lightning forward Steven Stamkos had knee surgery back in November, but we haven’t heard much about him since then. The Tampa Bay Times took a deeper look into his recovery. “It’s a milestone-based recovery,” said Scott Faucet, who’s an orthopedic surgeon. “You can’t work on strength if your knee is swollen. If you’re not strong enough, you can’t do a single leg squat or tolerate 5, 10 minutes of skating.” (Tampa Bay Times)

--The Hockey News looks back on the “punch-up in Piestany” brawl that occurred between the Russian and Canadian teams at the 1987 World Juniors. Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan was right in the thick of things. As a result of the brawl, Canada was kicked out of that tournament. (The Hockey News)

--Hockey’s a physical game, which means that you can lose your teeth every so often. The Los Angeles Kings have a few players missing chiclets and in this edition of “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” some of the guys explain how they lost their teeth. Drew Doughty lost them on two separate occasions. Once, he took a puck to the mouth and the other time, it was a high-stick that did the damage. (BarDown)