Two assists were provided in the Buffalo Sabres' overtime victory on Saturday night by captain Rasmus Dahlin. He had recently returned to the team after taking leave in Sweden. The assists and victory were a positive, but it meant much more given what Dahlin has been dealing with.
He returned to Sweden to care for his fiancée, who had a heart transplant. The Sabres went 0-3-0 while he was away. However, it is how the Sabres reacted to Dahlin's leave that demonstrated something more important than hockey.
Upon the start of his leave head coach Lindy Ruff, spoke about the full support Dahlin received from the organization. Dahlin is now joining of list of professional sports taking time away from sports for more important reasons.
Stanley Cup champion Brad Marchand recently took a week away from his playing duties with the Florida Panthers. He had gone back to Nova Scotia to be with a friend who lost a daughter to cancer.
The Buffalo Sabres with Rasmus Dahlin and Florida Panthers with Brad Marchand encouraged their players to take care of personal matters
According to Marchand, he had the full support of the Panthers. That may have not been possible for either NHL superstar 10 or 15 years ago.
There was a longstanding idea that pro athletes have to be immune from outside issues, and not allow their family or friends to interfere in their job. But due to the increased awareness related to mental health and wellness it seems that is not as a big an issue anymore.
Other athletes such as Bethany Balcer of the NWSL and Michael Mayer of the NFL took leave from their respective leagues and teams to work through some mental health issues they were experiencing.
Both came back stronger and were instrumental in their team's success. Dahlin did the same on Saturday night registering the two assists.
Allowing Dahlin to care for his fiancée, could lead to a stronger bond the captain may have with Ruff and his fellow teammates. Also, how can anyone be asked to step away from a spouse after that sort or recovery and expect their full attention?
His fiancée, Carolina, is still recovering and if Dahlin needs to step away again, it seems the Sabres would grant him that understandable time away.
The Sabres fanbase loves their organization and their team. It is, however, important to always remember and support players as they go through the grind of the real-life matters everyone goes through in life.
The victory against the Detroit Red Wings was very easily much more about just what happened on the ice.