Sabres hold moment of celebration for Hamlin

The Buffalo Sabres paid tribute to Bills safety Damar Hamlin with a moment of celebration before Saturday night’s 6-5 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.

Hamlin is on the long road to recovery after he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati on Monday night. He is now breathing on his own and briefly addressed the Bills team by video on Friday.

The Sabres and Bills are both owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, and the teams’ players have developed a bond and friendships for one another through that connection.

Fans throughout the crowd held up signs saying “DH3” with a heart in it, and “Love For Damar” was shown on the video board. The pregame celebration saw the crowd, with many wearing Bills jerseys, rise to their feet, applauding and cheering for Hamlin.

During the ceremony, the Sabres tweeted out a photo of the arena, with “#LoveForDamar” accompanying it.

The Sabres also paid tribute to Hamlin before Tuesday’s game in Washington wearing t-shirts saying “Love For 3” upon arrival at Capital One Arena.

The Bills host the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in the regular-season finale.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.