Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association nominated Kyle Okposo as the Sabres' representative for the Bill Masterton Trophy this season. The trophy is given for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Past or former Sabres to have won the award include Robin Lehner, Craig Anderson, Dominic Moore, Pat LaFontaine and Don Luce.
Okposo seems like a perfect choice for an award like this.
“It means a lot," the Sabres veteran winger said following Wednesday's practice. "I mean, I love the game, I love it here, and I try to show that every day through how I act and how I interact with people. To be recognized for something like that is definitely special.”
If you’re talking about perseverance, Okposo has been under attack from some of the fan base because of the free agent contract that he signed. From a goals and assists standpoint, it didn’t go well, but through that and some of the serious injuries he went through, he’s come out the other side, and is probably the most well-respected player in the Buffalo locker room.
Okposo has put up career-high numbers in his Sabres tenure this season with 21 goals and 45 points. He says he actually backed off this past summer, which made him better.
“I skated the least amount that I ever had in the summer," Okposo admitted. "Last year at the end of the year, I felt I was in a really good spot mentally, and in the last 17 games of the season, I played really well and my game was in a good spot. So I just tried to mentally reset and keep that momentum going. I got on the ice a little bit later and ramped it up pretty quickly, and just gave my body a rest and [did] more in the gym, just to make sure that everything was stable.”
We’ve talked a lot about some of the young players improving this season like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Henri Jokiharju, but what about the veterans? Okposo, Jeff Skinner and Zemgus Girgensons have also gotten a lot better. Okposo says that’s important too.
“The veteran guys have to set the tone, and I think with me and 'Z' at the start of the year, we just came in, did our work every day and then worked as hard as we could in practice. I thought right from the first game, he and I did a good job of setting that tone," Okposo said. "'Skinny' has been fantastic, and when he puts his helmet on, he’s a competitor. It’s been phenomenal to see how he’s bounced back this year. So it was nice to see some of the older guys have good seasons.”
If you watch Okposo in practice or even around the rink, you can just see the joy he has for being in the moment with these guys. The co-captain admitted that this season has been one of the best.
“It’s up there," he said. "I was talking to my wife the other night, and this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. This is the most fun I’ve had playing hockey in Buffalo, and the group of guys is a huge reason why, because we have a lot of young players that are so enthusiastic.”
So what makes this group so good to be around?
“Once I get to the rink, it’s just great, it’s easy," Okposo said. "I eat breakfast with whoever is in there, then you’re just laughing with the guys and you go talk to the trainers and have a coffee. It’s just fun to be around this group, and then we’ll sit in after the meeting and talk about whatever. That’s what makes it fun is those interactions, and we also have a ton of fun on the ice too.”
Wednesday was this team’s last practice of the season. Okposo wasn’t out there, as he was getting treatment on his ankle. He says the guys are sad that there are no more practices to come this year.
"We still had guys going out there 25 minutes early for the last practice of the year. That’s not normal for this time of year, but it’s the norm around here,” Okposo said.
Sabres head coach Don Granato had another way of looking at the last practice of the season.
"I’m not sad at all," Granato said. "I don’t get sad, because I get excited about the game tomorrow [Thursday]. I’m excited about the game the next day, and I’m excited about our future. But I guess if you’re not excited about your future, then yes, I’d be sad about the last practice. But these guys have inspired and motivated me, because there’s so much more to get after and go after.”
Granato said if Okposo can return from his injury, it's more likely to be Friday night than Thursday.
Meanwhile, Mattias Samuelsson, Vinnie Hinostroza, Cody Eakin and Craig Anderson all returned to practice on Wednesday.
Granato says both goalies will likely play in the final two games. He added that if he had to guess, Dustin Tokarski would play Thursday and Anderson would play Friday. That would give the veteran netminder an extra day of recovery from his injury.
Wednesday’s lines:
Forwards:
Skinner – Thompson – Olofsson
Asplund – Cozens – Hayden (Eakin)
Krebs – Mittelstadt – Tuch
Bjork – Girgensons – Hinostroza
Defense:
Samuelsson – Dahlin
Power – Jokiharju
Bryson – Fitzgerald
Butcher – Miller – Pysyk
***Photo: Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres)
