John Kennedy, 76, is a Columbus Blue Jackets season-ticket holder. The seat next to him at Nationwide Arena home games belongs to Jane Williams, his girlfriend.

Except that seat remains empty during games. Because Williams died five years ago.

Kennedy keeps her memory alive when the Blue Jackets hit the ice, purchasing a $1,500 season ticket in her honor each season, the vacant seat a reminder to all that she’s right there watching with him.

Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch had this remarkable story on Monday, as the Blue Jackets continue their stunning, record-setting season in front of fans attending the game both in body and in spirit.

From the Dispatch:

Some might wonder how a fan could pay $1,500 a season to keep the chair next to him unoccupied. It’s a small price, Kennedy said, on nights like this one when the upstart Blue Jackets score four third-period goals to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1. As the crowd roars and the cannon thunders, he envisions Jane turning to fellow fan Kim Carter to slap hands in celebration like they always did.

“I keep it because it’s her seat,” said Kennedy, swaddled in his familiar Blue Jackets coat, scarf and cap. “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?”

Williams loved hockey, and she and Kennedy supported the Blue Jackets from their inaugural season going forward. They road-tripped to see them play all over the country, and in Sweden. But when Williams lost her life, Kennedy almost moved on from hockey. From Reed:

Five years ago, Kennedy nearly walked away from it. Williams was diagnosed with cancer in March 2011 and died six weeks later at 64. His world unraveled. He went to preseason games that year and was reduced to tears when fans, unaware of Jane’s death, inquired about her.

Kennedy was prepared to give up his seats, originally in the third row, until a ticket broker suggested he try another location. He agreed, but refused to relinquish Jane’s ticket.

Read the full, remarkable story here.

Everyone copes with grief in their own ways, and everyone find their own manners in which to keep the spirit of departed loved ones alive. The Blue Jackets’ season has been one of the most rewarding in the franchise’s history; and yet knowing this story, it’s somehow even more rewarding to think that, somewhere and somehow, Jane Williams is enjoying it as well.

s/t PD reader John Evans

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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