"It was pretty cool," Okposo said. "He doesn't really understand that a ton of people are watching him and whatever, but he had the time of his life. Yeah, a pretty special day for me."
In a way, the fun for the Okposo family encapsulated what the Skills Challenge has been about since making its debut last season. It's a time for players to take a break from the grind of an 82-game schedule and interact with fans and each other in a loose atmosphere.
This year's edition saw Ullmark try his hand at the hardest shot competition and Rasmus Asplund take a shootout attempt with a mini stick. Players dressed in commemorative orange and white jerseys replicating those worn during the 1978 NHL All-Star Game in Buffalo, which will be available for auction beginning tomorrow.
"It's just nice, I think, for the fans to kind of see us just more candid and that's just kind of how we are. We just joke around," Okposo said. "I think it was pretty special for the fans to get a glimpse into that. The kids just looked like they had a ton of fun in the stands just cheering us on. It was just a really special day."
The event comes at a welcome time for the Sabres, who have four days between games for the first time since returning from Sweden in mid-November. They have a full day off Monday, then two days of practice in preparation for their game in St. Louis on Thursday.
"This is nice," forward Conor Sheary said. "I mean, the guys with kids can bring their families down, that's kind of fun. We can kind of just relax. We've had a long stretch of games here where we haven't had much of a break and now we've got four days here between games, which we're going to use to our advantage. This was just a good way for us to interact with our fans and have a good day."
Here's a recap of the day's events.