Every February, we celebrate Black History Month and recognize and honor the contributions of Black players throughout Buffalo Sabres history. Today, we honor current Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, whose father, Kome, is Nigerian.
The 35-year-old Okposo was drafted by the New York Islanders seventh overall in 2006, fresh off a 58-point season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. The Buccaneers won the Clark Cup that season, led by the 17-year-old Okposo and a handful of others, including current Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis.
After the draft, Okposo began his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota. He became the first African-American player in the team’s 86-year history and spent two seasons with the Golden Gophers, including averaging a point-per-game in his freshman year. After just 18 games during his sophomore season, he signed with the Islanders and left school, joining the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, and never looked back.
Okposo spent the next nine years with the Islanders organization, mostly with the NHL club. He registered a career-high 69 points (27-42) in 71 games during the 2013-14 season and appeared in 529 games with New York. He signed with the Sabres as a free agent on July 1, 2016, inking a seven-year contract worth $42 million.
Today, he is part of a small group of Black men who have served as captains of NHL teams. Okposo was named captain of the Sabres in 2022, entering the final year of his contract, and maintains the leadership role during his current one year deal. He’s now skated in 502 games with the Sabres, putting up 237 points, including 99 goals.
Earlier this season, Okposo played his 1,000th career NHL game.
Here’s a great tidbit about Okposo’s Nigerian roots, from Bill Hoppe at Buffalo Hockey Central in 2016:
Spoken by a small group of Midwestern Nigerians, where his father was born, ‘Okposo’ means ‘heavy rains and thunderstorms.’ It’s a fitting tribute to his heavy, rough-around-the-edges style of play.
Okposo and his sister were both raised to be introspective and independent thinkers by their parents, both highly educated pharmacists. Kome, Kyle’s father, left Nigeria at the young age of 16 and fast-tracked his way through school, getting degrees at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota.
Though Okposo has never set foot in Nigeria and his father has been back there only once since he left more than 40 years ago, they both are proud of their heritage. One of Okposo’s middle names is Evrovre, which translates into ‘Forgiveness.’ The name, as is the custom, was bestowed upon Kyle by his paternal grandfather and has a story of significance that Kome prefers to keep private.
When Okposo married Danielle Hirsch, herself a former varsity hockey player at St. Cloud State University, they decided they would carry on the custom of naming their children while reflecting their heritage. First they had a girl, Elliana, and Kome anointed her Seruo, which means ‘The Cherished One.’ This past April, they welcomed a son, Odin, into the world. His middle name is Ezi, which means ‘Spirit.’
https://buffalohockeycentral.com/2016/08/30/getting-to-know-kyle-okposo/
In 2019, Okposo met with a 17-year-old local youth hockey player who had endured racial taunts and slurs. In 2022, he spoke out about racist incidents in hockey after Jordan Subban was on the receiving end of a racist gesture during an ECHL game. Also in 2022, Okposo joined players and staff from the Bills, Bandits and Sabres to support Buffalo’s East Side community following the racist mass shooting there.
Further Reading & Action
- Celebrating Black History Month: Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre [2022]
- Celebrating Black History Month: Val James [2021]
- Celebrating Black History Month: Mike Grier [2021]
- Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney [2021]
- Celebrating Black History Month: Grant Fuhr [2021]
- Sabres of Yesterday | Hockey Diversity Panel, Part One [2020]
- Sabres of Yesterday | Hockey Diversity Panel, Part Two [2020]
Check out the Black Girl Hockey Club, a non-profit organization that focuses on making hockey more inclusive for Black women, their family, friends and allies. You can also get involved with the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which aims to eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey.
The Sabres will host Choose Love Night on Sunday, February 25 to put a spotlight on the Black community & local Black-owned businesses throughout Western New York. Specific details are likely to be released closer to the game.