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Maple Leafs' Clarkson after breaking orbital bone: 'I’m not going to change my game'

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

David Clarkson's early efforts to rebound from a poor first season in Toronto were derailed by a fight with Cody McCormick of the Buffalo Sabres that resulted in a broken orbital bone. Still, the tenacious Maple Leafs forward doesn't appear likely to change his approach to the game anytime soon.

“I’m not going to change my game because of something like that,” Clarkson told the Toronto Sun. “It’s the first time it happened to me. I was hitting that re-set button and getting ready and I’m still getting ready.”

Clarkson will need to wear a protective shield when he returns to the ice, and plans to appear in the club's final preseason game with a view towards be ready for an opening night tilt against the Montreal Canadiens. 

He missed the first ten games last season after being suspended in light of an altercation involving the Sabres, and never seemed to get in the swing of things with his new team. 

Even now, he's taking a decidedly optimistic approach to this latest setback.

“Something like this obviously sucks, but it’s how you come out of it,” Clarkson said. “I’m preparing to play Game 1.”

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