Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.
• Hockey fans on Twitter have been leaving sticks outside their homes in honor of the Humboldt Broncos. (CTV News)
• The Syracuse Crunch players will wear the name “Humboldt” on their back during an upcoming game. They’ll sell the jerseys and donate the money to the ambulance company that was on the scene after the bus crash took place. (Syracuse.com)
• Some news and notes out of St. Louis: Vladimir Tarasenko will undergo shoulder surgery, GM Doug Armstrong took the blame for the team’s failures this season, and Jake Allen will be back in 2018-19. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Stanley Cup Playoffs streaming, schedule and more
• Despite missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Detroit Red Wings will bring Jeff Blashill back next season. (Detroit News)
• Many hockey fans agree that Taylor Hall and Nathan MacKinnon are the leading contenders for the Hart Trophy, but what about Claude Giroux? He was outstanding this year. (Broad Street Hockey)
• Despite what you may think, Ducks goalie John Gibson is not injury prone. (Anaheim Calling)
• According to reports out of Russia, Ilya Kovalchuk is headed to the New York Rangers. (Blue Shirt Banter)
• We’ve never seen anything like the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ve been an incredible story all year, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t facing pressure this postseason. (Sinbin.Vegas)
• Even though Ryan Suter’s injury will prevent him from playing in the playoffs, he’ll still be cheering for his teammates from afar. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Generals Managers take a good amount of the blame when things go poorly, but the owners who leave them employed are also a big problem. Vice’s Dave Lozo had some fun writing up a fake Q&A with some of these general managers. (Vice)
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.