What was the incredible feat that the Buffalo Sabres pulled off in honor of Bills’ Damar Hamlin?
If someone had declared the stat line that we would witness in the Sabres’ overtime win against the Capitals, it would simply have been too good to be true.
As Buffalo comes to terms with the terrible events that unfolded during the Bills’ “Monday Night Football” game against the Bengals, even players from the State’s other professional teams have showed their support for the Bills safety, as he continues to fight for his life after suffering a cardiac arrest on field.
Tage Thompson caps off huge Sabres performance in honor of Damar Hamlin
On Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres budding superstar Tage Thompson was once again at his best, as the team clinched a 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals. As one can imagine, it was something that warranted celebration. Yet, there was something bigger on the minds of the players who arrived at the CapitalOne Arena wearing t-shirts that read “Love for 3,″ in a heartwarming show of support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The 24-year-old remains in critical condition after collapsing on field during Monday’s game.
Incredibly, the Sabres tribute didn’t stop there. Indeed, it was the aforementioned Thompson who provided the winner in overtime with exactly three minutes on the clock, for his third goal of the game. If that wasn’t enough, his goal completed a hat trick - his third of the season - to bring his total to 30 for the campaign so far. That kind of poetry can’t be made up.
What did the Sabres have to say?
Speaking about the solemn situation, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams admitted that he and the team did in fact struggle with the sad news on the eve of their clash with the Capitals. “It wasn’t feeling right this morning,” Adams said. “It didn’t feel like a normal game day. ...What happened last night is something that makes the game itself and any sport secondary. It was a tough day for all of us as a community. We care about each other in Buffalo. And as organizations, we care about each other. I know our players felt that this morning. We’re all just thinking about Damar.”
What do we know about Damar Hamlin’s condition?
Where Hamlin’s current status is concerned, what we do know is that following the situation on field, where he was administered emergency care including CPR and automated external defibrillator re-animation techniques for several minutes, the 24-year-old was then taken to the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He was later sedated and listed in critical condition. As things stand, the Bills have since confirmed it was in fact a cardiac arrest that he suffered, while his uncle, Dorrian Glenn disclosed that his nephew had to be resuscitated twice after his collapse.
“His heart had went out so they had to resuscitate him twice,” Glenn said. “They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital, and then they resuscitated him a second time when they got him to the hospital. Right now they’ve got him on a ventilator. They’re trying to get him to breathe on his own. We’re just kind of taking it day by day. Still in the ICU. They have him sedated. So just continue to administer the medical treatment they’ve been doing.”