RALEIGH, N.C. _ Kyle Okposo is a Sabre now, but his NHL roots still are deepest with the Islanders, for whom he played parts of nine seasons before leaving for Buffalo last summer.
So the news that he is hospitalized at a Buffalo hospital with an undisclosed illness hit the Islanders hard.
"It's tough," Cal Clutterbuck said before Thursday night's game against the Hurricanes. "I don't know much more about it than anybody else. Obviously, the concern is just with him and his family. It's a tough time. He's got two young kids (ages 1 and 3) and a wife who's obviously really concerned, as we all are.
"I think he's in good hands and I think he's going to be OK. You just keep thinking about him while he is going through it."
The Buffalo News reported that as of Wednesday, Okposo was in the Neuro Surgical ICU at Buffalo General Hospital. He has been out of action since March 28.
"We're praying for him," Islanders coach Doug Weight said. "He's a wonderful person. Certainly, this is a little more important than hockey ... All you can do is shoot him a text and let his wife know and him know that we're thinking about him.
"He spent a lot of time here and we got to know him really well, not (only) as a player, but as a person. He's a good man, and we wish him the best."
