FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Okposo is going out as a Stanley Cup champion.
Okposo, who played 17 seasons in the NHL and finished that run as part of the Florida team that won a title last season, announced his retirement on Thursday.
The former Buffalo Sabres captain made the announcement on social media, bringing an end to an NHL career that started when the New York Islanders drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick in 2006.
In a letter distributed by CAA, which represents Okposo, he called his 30 years playing hockey “incredible.”
“It brought me to some amazing places and provided such unique experiences,” Okposo wrote. “I believe the game is in a great place right now, but the possibilities are vast. I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to the game as it reaches new heights.”
Okposo had 242 goals and 372 assists in 1,051 NHL regular-season games, all but six of those contests coming when he played for the Islanders or the Sabres. He went to the playoffs four times — 2013, 2015 and 2016 with the Islanders, then finished last season with the Panthers after joining them for the stretch run — and won the Cup for the first time.
It wasn’t lost on the Panthers that he had waited a long time for that title, so they didn’t make him wait much longer to get his hands on the trophy in the on-ice celebration following the Game 7 win over Edmonton. After captain Aleksander Barkov accepted the Cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman, he handed it to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and Bobrovsky then handed it to Okposo for his celebratory lap around the ice.
“What an experience, what a moment with these guys,” Okposo said that night. “I took a leap of faith 3 1/2 months ago and this is what it was for. I wanted a chance to win and these guys, they’re just an incredible bunch. We did everything to win. We did it the hard way.”
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Kyle Okposo raises the Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Edmonton Oilers, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Saturday night.
After falling behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the game, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first period and never relinquished the lead.
After Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 1-all, Brett Howden took Jack Eichel’s pass from behind the net and beat Philipp Grubauer at the doorstep to give Vegas a one-goal edge. Nic Hague's goal later in the period put Vegas up, 3-1.
William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin also added goals in the third and Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots to improve to 8-3-1. Eichel finished with two assists.
Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle while Grubauer made 29 saves and fell to 3-10-0.
Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson made his first return to Vegas since signing with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to hoist the Stanley Cup twice in Vegas, winning inside T-Mobile Arena with Washington in 2018, and again with the Knights in 2023.
Golden Knights: Vegas has won three straight and seven of eight in December. With the win, the Knights (47) are now four points in front of Los Angeles (43) in the Pacific Division and two points shy of Western Conference-leading Winnipeg (49).
Trailing 1-0, Kolesar took a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson that led him perfectly on a breakaway. Kolesar’s snipe over Grubauer’s glove gave him his career-high eighth goal of the season.
Seattle is now 1-17-1 when trailing after two periods while Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes.
The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Kraken visit the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Vegas Golden Knights centers Brett Howden (21) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate after Howden's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and right wing Cole Schwindt (22) celebrate after Kolesar's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde shoots against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) shoots against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
