Buffalo Sabers winger Alex Touch has eloquently described the emotions he and his teammates dealt with after seeing Buffalo Bills safety box Dummer Hamlin collapse on the field during a Monday Night Football game. My lower lip trembled.
From messages of concern exchanged between teammates on the field in Cincinnati to the ‘Love for 3’ shirt worn by the Sabers before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, the timeline follows the events. will explain in detail. He paused for a moment when he reached a difficult chapter played out on the ice at the Capital One Arena.
It’s definitely going to be something special,” Thompson said. “It’s a cool game. It means a lot to have it end like this, and it feels really special to me that it played such a big part for me.”
Touch decided not to talk about the game. He quickly apologized, explaining his happiness at being able to help the community heal in the Sabers’ locker room and the overwhelming relief that Hamlin was moving on.
The Sabers had no choice but to face the Capitals. Feelings of concern and, as captain Kyle Okposo described, “fear” and “anxiety” had to leave the ice. Not surprisingly, they bubbled to the surface after a moment of silence was held in support of Hamlin and his family, as the 24-year-old Hamlin remained in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest.
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“It suffocates,” said Touch, who grew up near Syracuse. “It was serious. “
Tage Thompson completed the hat-trick with the game-winning goal to lead the Sabers to a 5–4 win.
General Manager Kevin Adams gathered coaches and players Tuesday morning to reiterate the impact the Sabers have on communities. Before long, they had to work together to save Buffalo from an unimaginably horrific situation. Despite the psychological challenges, the Sabers won over the Capitals in overtime.
Emotions were still raw as the Sabers sat in the changing room at the Keybank Center after Thursday’s practice. They found some solace in a nearby monitor that displayed the Bills’ latest update that Hamlin had made “significant” improvement over the past 24 hours and appeared neurologically intact. It was another tough day for the group as they were gearing up for a game against the Minnesota Wild that night.
“It was definitely a whirlwind of emotions,” Okposo said. “Of course, first and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Dummer and his family, all the players out there, the Bills, the entire organization and everyone directly affected by it. Sports are woven into the fabric of our society and have a profound impact on many people’s lives.Sometimes, there are humans in sports. Sometimes we forget that, as humans, it’s terrifying for something like that to happen on one of the biggest stages we have in this country.
“We all pray for him, but it has personally made me think a lot. We play sports for a living, but accidents do happen.” It got me thinking about different periods in my career and similar situations I’ve seen at the rink, and it brings a little bit of doubt in your head and a little bit of fear and anxiety.”
Like many in Buffalo and elsewhere, the Sabers got a good night’s sleep Monday night. They watched the reactions of Bills players on the field as medical staff gathered around Hamlin, who received CPR after he collapsed as a result of a tackle in the first quarter. They exchanged reactions and provided a means to check in with each other. They continuously monitored social media for updates on Hamlin’s condition.
The player arrives at the Capital One Arena wearing a white T-shirt that reads “Love for 3” on the front before Tuesday night’s game in Washington.
Okposo, Adams, coach Don Granato and Sabers senior director of communications Nicole Hendricks met early Tuesday morning to discuss the traumatic event and how the team should proceed.
There was a general sense of how traumatic this event had been for the Sabers, but they decided a team meeting was the only effective way to make sure everyone was safe. I expressed my feelings and had no fear of appearing vulnerable to the rest of the group.
“Of course everyone is thinking about him and it’s on their minds, but hopefully watching us play and trying to give people a little respite is something we’re going to do. “To the point where we get to emotionally, you try to block it. But when we talk about things, it moves on from things and heals at a reasonable rate.” I think it helps with that.
This year has been a difficult year for the Sabers, the Bills, and West New York as a whole.
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Sabers center Tage Thompson, who scored three goals Tuesday including the game winner, said: “There are a lot of people who really love the city of Buffalo and want to see it thrive and thrive. “I think what we can do from our standpoint is keep working hard, turn this team around, win a few games, make the playoffs, and bring the city back to life. When I’m hurt, I do whatever I can to help the community away from the rink.This is home to me and of course everyone in this room.You care for your home and the people around it. I would like to
The Sabers had to focus on hockey Tuesday morning. But there was no way to hide their feelings. Their pregame skating at the Capital One Arena was quiet. Player spoke in a quiet tone. There were no playful goal celebrations or witty banter, as is typically the case in practice.
The staff, led by Hendrix, organized various ways to show their support for Hamlin from afar. T-shirts were ordered and worn by athletes as they entered the arena. Adams, Granert and the rest of his coaching staff wore Hamlin’s No. 3 on the left lapel of his jacket. During warm-ups, he had four signs above his team’s benches, two of which read “Love for 3.”
Pronger, 23, was in the Western Conference semifinals of the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs against the St. Louis Blues. Pronger managed to get up on impact and he took two steps before falling to the ice.
The players and staff of both organizations are on good terms. Adams and Granat exchange messages with Bills general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott. Both teams are owned by Terry and Kim Pegula. In June, Kim Pegula was hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition. She has not resumed her role as president of her two teams and there is no update on her health or recovery.
Additionally, there is crossover with support staff, including team doctors. Bills players participate in Sabers games whenever possible and vice versa. However, Okposo and Touch wanted to respect the Bills’ privacy. They didn’t want to add to the onslaught of messages Hamlin’s teammates likely received.
The Sabers wanted to show through their play that their thoughts were on Hamlin, the Bills, and the rest of Buffalo. You can help others by turning into a relentless effort on the ice.Tuch and Thompson gave an inspiring performance.
Buffalo built a two-goal lead and fell behind 4-3 in the third period before Tuff forced a turnover behind the net and found Thompson in front for the winning goal to keep the score in extra time. Won.
“Obviously, they love playing hockey and they love their teammates,” Granert said. “And it was a forum where they could hold each other and play the games we wanted to play. These are difficult situations because we really don’t know what to do. just living in
“When something happens, you have to stop and feel how vulnerable you are. I like the fact that players go to that locker room. We feel vulnerable and Even they feel vulnerable in different ways every night at an NHL game… But they really felt like, ‘Let’s do something together, we have a chance to do something together.’ I was. And it was fun to see them embrace it. ”
West New York businesses use marquee signs to publicly express words of encouragement and support for Hamlin. By Thursday afternoon, his foundation’s donations to the toy movement, which had initially set a goal of $2,500 for him, had reached $7.3 million. Bills fans gather outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as Hamlin continues his recovery.
Okposo, 34, has made it his home year-round since signing a seven-year contract with the Sabers in July 2016. 2017. Hamlin and his efforts to help his family came as no surprise to Okposo or anyone else in the dressing room.
“This is a special place,” he said. “The market is small compared to the North American market, but the passion there is second to none. Not to mention a tragedy like this.
“It’s a really special place, a city of good neighbors, and they help each other and try to heal together.”
