BUFFALO -- Kyle Okposo is grateful for the longevity to play 1,000 NHL games, a milestone he will reach with the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B, SNP, SNO, SNE).
“It’s something that I will look back on very fondly,” the 35-year-old forward said Monday. “I don’t do anything for praise or recognition, I just try to do the right thing. This is something that’s a byproduct of that, and it’s a special day for everybody that helped me get to this point, for sure. For my family and the people behind the scenes that have supported me throughout the whole way. Just going to try to enjoy it, soak everything.”
The thought of one day reaching 1,000 games hadn’t really crossed Okposo’s mind until he played No. 500 on Feb. 9, 2016, then with the New York Islanders, who selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. At that time, he felt like it had already been a lot of games. The thought of playing another 500 seemed uncertain.
That the milestone is coming with these Sabres means a lot to him.
Okposo, who was named Sabres captain Oct. 8, 2022, has helped foster the culture in what has become a very tight-knit locker room.
“It’s special, because I know where we’ve been and I know where we are now,” he said. “And that’s something I’m the most proud of, is what we have in that room and what they’re going to continue to in that room for hopefully a long time is something that is tangible. And I don’t know how many wins come from that, how that translates on the ice, but I know that it does.
“I can see it in the way they treat each other, how they treat everybody else, how respectful of a group they are. But how much they care about each other, that means the world to me. To be playing with those guys, it’s a ton of fun.”
Okposo has been through a lot since signing with Buffalo as an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2016. His first season ended with a frightening health scare, when the effects of a concussion landed him in the hospital in intensive care. He missed the final six games of that season.
The Sabres finished among the bottom six in the NHL standings in each of his first five seasons with them. Okposo is on his fourth coach (Don Granato) and third general manager (Kevyn Adams) in Buffalo.
“You have so many emotional highs and then lows, and injuries through the year, so to get to 1,000 you know he's been through a lot,” Granato said. “And his family has been through a lot. For me, obviously my first stint in the NHL as a head coach, dating back a couple years now and having him for me from Day One, he was very special to me then, and remains that way and to our organization. To be a part of it, for me, is really nice.
Okposo and Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson have known each other since their childhood days in Minnesota. They played together for the Minnesota Blades’ youth team and later ended up teammates and roommates at the University of Minnesota before reuniting in Buffalo this season.
“It’s cool,” Johnson said of being able to be a part of Okposo’s moment. “It's not easy to do. There's a lot of a lot of stuff that goes into it. … Just getting your body ready to play, your mind ready to play for that many years, it's tough.
“The hockey part's easy the part, there's a lot of stuff behind the scenes that doesn't get seen. And to go along with that you need a strong family, and I know he has that support system at home, so it's a true team effort. I'm happy to see him get there. It's been a long journey and kind of cool to see it come full circle and be able to celebrate it with him.”
Only forward Zemgus Girgensons has been with Buffalo longer than Okposo. Girgensons was a first-round pick (No. 14) by the Sabres at the 2012 NHL Draft and is in his 10th season.
“I've been fortunate to play most of my career alongside him,” Girgensons said. “I probably can say I wouldn't be here as long without him. The lessons I've learned from him on and off the ice, he's really been a mentor and leader for me, so it means a lot to be next to him when he reaches that milestone.”
It’s been an inconsistent start for Buffalo (7-7-1), which entered this season with expectations of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing by one point in 2022-23. The Sabres haven’t qualified since 2011, the longest active drought in the NHL.
Buffalo has yet to win more than two in a row this season and has allowed 47 goals through 15 games. Still, the Sabres enter Tuesday one point back of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
“I think it’s a testament to how impressionable we are and how good we are, too, that we’re in this spot and we haven’t played our best this year,” Okposo said. “We played a couple good games here and there, but it hasn’t been on a consistent basis. And we know we can be better.
“Everybody in the room knows we can better, and we’re going to be better. When we do, it’s going to be off and running.”
