Hockey bonds run deep.
Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo alluded to as much in advance of Friday's game against the New York Islanders, for whom he played 556 games over nine seasons after being drafted 28th overall in 2006.
It'll be Okposo's first game against his old club after signing with the Sabres this past summer, and while he has mixed emotions, all that matters in the end is securing the two points against an Islanders team that sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
"It's tough to see them struggle, but on the other side of the ledger I'm over here now and this is what I've got to focus on," Okposo said, per Joe Yerdon of NHL.com. "When I talk to those guys I just ask them how they're doing and hopefully their spirits are up. You don't like to see guys go through that, that you battled with and you grew up with.
"But when we play them it's going to be business as usual and everybody is trying to get two points out there. But you don't like to see those guys struggle or go through tough stretches like they are."
Okposo's Sabres have a 11-11-6 record through 29 games, good for 28 points, one ahead of the Islanders (11-13-5).
Neither team seems destined for the playoffs, but Friday's meeting could be an emotional affair all the same.
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