'It was really special' | Okposo plays 1,000th NHL game against Boston in front of family and friends

Kyle Okposo looked up at the video board ahead of his 1,000th NHL game to see his family and teammates in a video celebrating the perseverance, leadership, and passion that carried the Sabres captain to his incredible milestone.

“Tough to put into words what that video meant and just that my family was there to celebrate it with me was extremely special," Okposo said. "Definitely super emotional seeing what the kids had to say, what my wife had to say, and all the guys too. It was really special."

Okposo took the ice against the Boston Bruins inside KeyBank Center Tuesday night, becoming the 12th skater to appear in his 1,000th game as a member of the Sabres and the first since Jason Pominville did so on Nov. 1, 2018.

The achievement was a testament to the veteran forward’s work ethic and love for the game of hockey through the many ups and downs in his career. But to Okposo, the night was more about the people who helped him get to this point in his career than it was about himself.

“… How much it means to people that are with me every day and that I get to spend it with, and with these guys in the locker room to try and impart some different life lessons on them and just try and help them grow as young men every day and have them be good people - you know, that means a lot to me," Okposo said.

"And then to watch how much it means to my family, when your kids just look at you and they say they’re proud of you and we’re having cinnamon rolls this morning at 6:30 - it was a pretty special day.”

The Sabres found themselves down early as Danton Heinen and David Pastrnak scored 1:08 apart to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead just over four minutes into the game. An odd-man rush late in the opening period extended the lead to three goals, which would prove difficult for Buffalo to come back from.

Oskar Steen and Hampus Lindholm added tallies in the second to make it 5-0 before the Sabres found the scoresheet with a goal from Victor Olofsson with 4:53 remaining in the middle frame.

Okposo felt that it was difficult to shift the momentum back in the Sabres’ favor and that the team needs to continue to work to find the identity that made it one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league last season.

“I just think we have to get back to – I’ve said it before – what makes us good," he said. "And, you know, that’s pressuring pucks and being fast, that’s being all over teams and then when we do have it, using our speed, using our creativity."

Olofsson tallied his second of the night with 4:58 to go in the game but the Bruins held on for the 5-2 victory on Okposo’s special night.

“You play 1,000 games—there’s a lot of grind. Tonight is evident of it. There’s lots of exciting things and there’s lots of ups and there’s lots of downs when you play 1,000 games, and he’s exemplified a lot of really good things through all that,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “Tough night, you know, overall, for the group, for the team, for guys who love him in that locker room. I know it’s a big, big disappointment to our guys to not perform better and obviously, didn’t win.”

Here's the breakdown of Okposo's 1,000th career game.

1. Buffalo was without forward Tage Thompson after he exited the game with an upper-body injury with 8:55 remaining in the second.

Following the game, Granato said Thompson will miss “probably some significant time.”

2. Olofsson's first goal of the season came after Owen Power took a shot from the point that bounced off the end boards and onto his stick, leaving him with an open net to shoot at.

3. Olofsson tallied his second of the night from the slot off a feed from JJ Peterka to bring the score to 5-2.

4. The Sabres arrived at KeyBank Center wearing customized Kyle Okposo graphic tees.

See the full arrival photo gallery below.

5. Okposo’s children greeted him outside of the locker room before stepping onto the ice for warmups.

And Odin Okposo had the lineup read.

6. Alternate captains Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Dahlin and defenseman Erik Johnson presented Okposo’s wife, Danielle, and their children, Elliana, Odin, Livia, and Emmett, with mini silver sticks and flowers before unveiling two pieces of artwork to celebrate his 1,000th game: a selection of photos chosen by his family and a portrait by local artist Edreys Wajed.

Craig Anderson then presented Okposo with a commemorative Tiffany crystal on behalf of the National Hockey League and Kevyn Adams brought out his customary silver stick.  

Check out the full ceremony below.

7. Throughout the night, Okposo received special messages from his family, friends, and teammates on the video board.

Up next

The Sabres kick off a three-game road trip Friday in Winnipeg.

Coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 7:30 p.m. while the puck drops at 8 on MSG and WGR 550.