Dahlin on captaincy: 'My proudest moment as a hockey player'

MUNICH, Germany – Rasmus Dahlin said he felt a rush of emotions when Lindy Ruff called his name as the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres.

Ruff made the announcement during a team dinner on Thursday in Munich. Dahlin will wear the “C” for the first time during the team’s exhibition game against Red Bull Munich on Friday.

Watch the moment Ruff announced Dahlin as captain – along with Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson as alternates – below.

Sabres.com caught up with Dahlin on Friday morning to discuss the captaincy and why the 24-year-old defenseman viewed receiving the title as his “proudest moment.”

Rasmus Dahlin, captain of the Buffalo Sabres. Tell me what you felt when you first heard that title?

I’d say I got emotional pretty quick. It’s probably my proudest moment as a hockey player. It means a lot. It’s a big responsibility, but I’m ready for it. I’m more than happy.

You got here at 18 years old. I saw an interview recently where you said one thing you wanted to do was not be so shy. Could you have ever envisioned this title back then?

I’m not a very outgoing person. ... I understand why I said that when I was 18. But, I ‘ve learned a couple of things these last few years so it’s been fun.

Was it something you always wanted to do, be a leader?

Yeah, for sure. I feel like I’ve always naturally been one so it’s pretty cool.

You’ve been here six years, what does this franchise mean to you?

Everything. This is the franchise that drafted me. They’ve believed in me since the beginning. They’ve done everything for me, so I [owe] them a lot and Buffalo is my city. It’s my life and I love Buffalo so I can’t wait for what’s coming.

Who did you tell first and what did it mean to you to be able to share that news

I told my whole family. We have a group chat. My girlfriend, my best buddies. It was special for sure, it’s been a crazy last few hours here, the last few hours. It’s cool.

Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, Tage Thompson, those are the alternate captains, how much support will you get from those guys and what do they mean to you?

They mean so much to me and to the room obviously. The type of leaders they are, they could’ve had the “C” honestly. They do the right things every day. They work super, super hard and they love Buffalo. We really want to build something here and become a winning hockey team. It’s for real.

You said yesterday, “Let’s do something special.” You’ve always maintained your belief in the team’s ability to do that. What gives you that confidence?

Like I said we’re very motivated and we really, really want this and now we have new coaching staff, some new additions. We have something really good going on. From previous years, we’re older now. There’re no more excuses that we’re young anymore and we have the experience and guys in the room are special. They are dialed in so we are ready for it.