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Following their practice at SAP Arena the Sabres boarded a bus for a one-hour
ride to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center that
primarily treats soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. Opened in 1953, the
146-bed facility is the largest American hospital outside the United
States.
For two incredibly humbling – and inspiring – hours, the players
broke into several groups to tour the hospitals wards, along with the USO
Wounded Warrior Center. The majority of my day was spent with a group consisting
of Tyler
Myers, Jochen Hecht, Tyler Ennis, Andrej Sekera and Jhonas Enroth. Together they represent five different
countries (Myers is a dual Canadian/US citizen), while also being the five
quietist Sabres you could possibly assemble. They are known for letting their
actions speak on the ice, but not as loudly off it.
But on this day it
didn’t matter how much they said or how loudly they said it. The Buffalo Sabres
were a distraction, not the focus of attention.
Just their mere presence
in each room was enough for these soldiers, many of whom who had no idea who
they even were. To them, Myers was just some tall kid in the blue number 57
jersey. Ennis rode shotgun with Myers all day, his wavy blond hair covered up by
a baseball cap. Enroth looked more like someone who had snuck into the tour, as
his oversized goalie jersey tented his slight frame. Just like he is on the ice,
Sekera stayed in the background for most of the day, but stepped up when the
situation called for it. Hecht, the elder statesman of the group, often
interjected when patients or staff had questions about hockey in Germany. He
even took offense when a nurse suggested that we avoid that Autobahn during our
trip. “What have you got against the Autobahn?” Hecht deadpanned, before
breaking into a smile.
ride to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center that
primarily treats soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. Opened in 1953, the
146-bed facility is the largest American hospital outside the United
States.
For two incredibly humbling – and inspiring – hours, the players
broke into several groups to tour the hospitals wards, along with the USO
Wounded Warrior Center. The majority of my day was spent with a group consisting
of Tyler
Myers, Jochen Hecht, Tyler Ennis, Andrej Sekera and Jhonas Enroth. Together they represent five different
countries (Myers is a dual Canadian/US citizen), while also being the five
quietist Sabres you could possibly assemble. They are known for letting their
actions speak on the ice, but not as loudly off it.
But on this day it
didn’t matter how much they said or how loudly they said it. The Buffalo Sabres
were a distraction, not the focus of attention.
Just their mere presence
in each room was enough for these soldiers, many of whom who had no idea who
they even were. To them, Myers was just some tall kid in the blue number 57
jersey. Ennis rode shotgun with Myers all day, his wavy blond hair covered up by
a baseball cap. Enroth looked more like someone who had snuck into the tour, as
his oversized goalie jersey tented his slight frame. Just like he is on the ice,
Sekera stayed in the background for most of the day, but stepped up when the
situation called for it. Hecht, the elder statesman of the group, often
interjected when patients or staff had questions about hockey in Germany. He
even took offense when a nurse suggested that we avoid that Autobahn during our
trip. “What have you got against the Autobahn?” Hecht deadpanned, before
breaking into a smile.
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