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Okposo to fans: ‘Thinking about your support brings a tear to my eye’

Arizona Coyotes v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 2: Kyle Okposo #21 of the Buffalo Sabres before the game against the Arizona Coyotes at the KeyBank Center on March 2, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. Sabres beat the Coyotes 6-3. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***Kyle Okposo"n"n

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In a lengthy and heartfelt letter, Kyle Okposo thanked the hockey community - especially but not only Buffalo Sabres fans and teammates - for their support after his hospitalization.

Okposo also shared some personal details about how a seemingly innocent hit affected his sleep and caused alarming weight loss, dropping him below 200 lbs. for the first time since he was 17. He said he checked into a hospital expecting to get help sleeping, only to go to ICU after a negative reaction to medication.

As scary as that experience was, it helped him put his career and life in perspective. Okposo also realized just how much fans, teammates, and people associated with the sport can help each other in times of need.

It’s a really great letter and worth reading in full (especially considering his praise for new Sabres management), but here’s one of the more inspiring excerpts:

When I turned my phone on, I had 500 messages waiting for me. Current players, former players, former coaches - everyone reached out. Even now, fans see me in Minnesota or Buffalo and say, ‘I’m just really glad you’re doing OK.’ It’s overwhelming, and it makes me proud to be a part of the hockey community. We’re a tight-knit group and we stick together. Thinking about your support brings a tear to my eye.

The messages from my Sabres teammates meant a lot in particular. I’ve only played with those guys for one year, with Matt Moulson being the exception, and we didn’t have the type of season that we wanted. The fact that all of them were so supportive through this shows that the bond between teammates really does transcend what happens on the ice.

Okposo noted that he appreciated playing in “Da Beauty League” last week, even though his team got “whacked.”

Read more about him being involved in that here, and how happy Zach Parise and others were to see him play in this article. Okposo also reaffirms the belief that he’ll be ready to go for Sabres training camp in that letter.