After months of uncertainty Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo is back on the ice playing hockey. On Wednesday, Okposo made his debut with Team RBC in DaBeauty League -- a 4-on-4 summer league in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
One more #DaBeautyLeague debut tonight is none other than @bookerT2116!!! pic.twitter.com/SF9t0Vj1fJ
— DaBeautyLeague (@DaBeautyLeague) July 19, 2017
The return to the ice comes after Okposo was admitted into the neurosurgical intensive care unit at Buffalo General Hospital in April. Okposo missed the Sabres last five games of the season because of the illness.
Nice try by @bookerT2116 just misses wide. @BuffaloSabres pic.twitter.com/DuSBwI28aJ
— DaBeautyLeague (@DaBeautyLeague) July 20, 2017
During Sabres head coach Phil Housley's introductory media conference, GM Jason Botterill was asked about Okposo's status. Without getting into much detail, Botterill told reporters he expected Okposo to be ready to go for the upcoming season.
Bove's take:
This is likely the best news Sabres fans have heard or read in a long, long time. We still don't know all of the details about what led to Okposo's hospitalization but admittedly, it was scary.
At the end of the day, hockey is just game but it's the game Okposo loves and the way he supports his family. Despite the nature and pace of play in DaBeauty League, Okposo's involvement is a giant step in the right direction, which I think we all can agree, is nice to see.
