Okposo named Sabres captain

Kyle Okposo felt a sense of obligation to the Buffalo Sabres on the July day he signed his seven-year contract in 2016.
"For frankly more money than I thought I would ever make," Okposo said Saturday. "I felt like it created a sense of duty in me that I had to this organization, and that's kind of how it started."
That obligation has evolved over six years. Okposo watched his family grow in size and his children grow older while in Buffalo. He made Western New York his full-time home.
"It's left a really special place in my heart where I want this place to succeed," Okposo said. "I want the Sabres to succeed. I know how difficult it's been at times for sports fans in this city and for the people in this city because so much of life is connected to the Bills and the Sabres. And I feel that every day, especially when I'm here in the summer and even in the winters.
"We have a bad game, and you hear people talking about it, people are down. You have a great game and peoples' moods are up and I just feel that connection to the city. That's why it's just so important for me to try and leave this place in a better place than I found it."
That commitment - to the organization, the community, and to his teammates - made the announcement that came Saturday feel almost inevitable.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams named Okposo the 20th full-time captain in Sabres history during a team event with players, staff, and their families. Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Dahlin will serve as alternate captains.
"It's impossible to overstate what Kyle has meant to this group - he is patient, he is a lifelong learner, he is levelheaded, and most of all, he is proud to be a Buffalo Sabre," Adams said.
"When times get difficult, Kyle knows when to speak up, and when he does, the team takes it to heart. Kyle and his family have made Buffalo their home and want to see our organization succeed, both on and off the ice. I am proud that Kyle will represent our organization with class and dignity."

The Sabres chose not to name a captain last season, opting instead to have Okposo and Girgensons serve as full-time alternates. Dahlin joined as an alternate in select games later in the season.
The objective from Adams and coach Don Granato was to foster an environment in which players could be themselves away from the rink while remaining highly competitive any time they were on the ice. Okposo and Girgensons - veterans on an otherwise overwhelmingly young roster - set the tone early for the culture that was established over the course of eight months.

Under their leadership, the Sabres showed tangible signs of improvement, playing at a 102-point pace during the final two months of the season. Players enjoyed career years. Teammates stood up for each other on the ice and chose to spend time together off it.
"I'm proud of where this organization is and not naïve enough to think that it's all because of me or anything like that," Okposo said.
"I'm just happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to be somebody that the guys in this organization and the guys that play on the team can look up to and try and continue to move this culture forward. I'm just so proud of where we're at from a team standpoint. It's not a guarantee that the results follow a good culture, but it's a hell of a good start. That's what I'm definitely most proud of over the last year."
Tweet from @BuffaloSabres: ���This city is so hungry for a winner, and you guys can be a part of that.���No better person than Okie to deliver this message. pic.twitter.com/NZqgkAomYn
Okposo, meanwhile, made a conscious decision to not overextend himself - after years of trying to put out every fire that might arise, he focused on himself and let his leadership flow from there.
By just doing that, he became all things for the Sabres - a shoulder for teammates to lean on, an example of how to work and how to treat people, a guiding voice when standards were not met.
"You have to be a humble, hardworking guy in this organization," Dahlin said. "If you don't work hard, he will let you know."
Dylan Cozens put it even more succinctly.
"He's the life of the Sabres," Cozens said.
Okposo took outward ownership of the Sabres' culture, penning open lettersto the people of Buffalo and making his presence felt in the community. He was voted by fans as the Rick Martin Memorial Award winner in May, the requisites for which include on-ice excellence, resiliency, and dedication to the community.

It's all come naturally. Okposo has never been a captain, nor has it ever been his goal. He picked up pieces from leaders he played with along the way - but more than anything, he leads by being himself.
"That letter, I don't think, got stitched on my jersey because of what I could do," he said. "It's based on, I think, what I've done and what I've tried to do and how I've acted. So, I'm not going to change anything about what I've been doing."
Okposo now has one year remaining on that seven-year contract. But his commitment - to the Sabres, to the young players in the room, to the people in Buffalo - now extends further.
"I'm under no illusions that I'm going to outlast the organization," he said. "Nobody does. Not one single player in history has ever outlasted an organization.
"I just want to make sure that there's something tangible when I leave, that the guys are set up for continued success off the ice and how they treat people and making this place, making KeyBank Center an incredible place for everybody to come to work. That's my goal."