On the other, there was the reflection of what he\u2019s been through, a tumultuous time which began when he lost his unborn baby and almost lost his fiancee Carolina Matovac last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s been \u2026 I don\u2019t know if I can fully describe it now. I need some time,\u201d he said, struggling to find the proper words. \u201cIt\u2019s been a crazy year. And I\u2019m just so happy I can be with this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brothers, they help me every day,\u201d referring to his Sabres teammates. \u201cI could not have done this without them, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
If his emotions seemed raw, there was good reason for it.<\/p>\n
Just 24 hours earlier, Carolina posted a moving message on Instagram revealing that the due date of the couple\u2019s first child would have been on Monday.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the baby didn\u2019t survive during a traumatic health scare for Matovac last summer. And she almost didn\u2019t either.<\/p>\n
The couple was on a vacation in France when Matovac became sick. She subsequently was put on life support for weeks before undergoing a heart transplant.<\/p>\n
In her Instagram story, Carolina explained that the couple had first gone to the hospital with concerns for the unborn child. It was there that she had her first heart failure, leading to a lengthy spell of serious treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was meant to be the day we finally met you,” Matovac wrote. “You will always hold a special place in our hearts as our first baby, even though we never had the chance to meet. Our love for you is endless.<\/p>\n
“Though you didn’t get to experience this world, you played a vital role in ensuring that I could continue to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
“This is just one of the many reasons I am alive today, able to embrace a normal life once again. You are our hero, and I hope you are being well cared for in heaven. We love you, baby Matovac Dahlin.”<\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s painful odyssey has not been lost on Dahlin\u2019s teammates or coach Lindy Ruff. When they see precious moments like the smile on Dahlin\u2019s face on the ice when the final horn sounded Tuesday, it was a reminder to them of just how far he and Matovac have come in their quest to regain some sort of normality in their lives.<\/p>\n