Sabres owner Kim Pegula makes first public appearance in over a year

Last summer, the Buffalo Sabres appealed to fans for their thoughts and prayers concerning the health of co-owner Kim Pegula as she underwent treatment for an unspecified illness.

NFL insider Adam Schefter has also published a statement from the Pegula family.

After months of speculation on Pegula's health, her daughter Jessica Pegula revealed in February that had Kim suffered a heart attack and is still recovering from the trauma.

From TSN:

Kim Pegula continues to improve daily but is "dealing with significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues," and while she continues to work hard in her recovery, "where she ends up is still unknown," Jessica Pegula wrote in an essay for The Players' Tribune that was published Tuesday. She shared that her mother will most likely not be able to return to her roles in the way she had been.

"She can read, write, and understand pretty well, but she has trouble finding the words to respond," Jessica Pegula, the No. 4 tennis player in the world, wrote. "It is hard to deal with and it takes a lot of patience to communicate with her, but I thank God every day that we can still communicate with her at all. The doctors continue to be blown away by her recovery, considering where she started, and her determination is the driving force of that."

- Jessica Pegula

Today, Pegula made her first public appearance since her heart attack, appearing briefly at a Buffalo Bills practice.

Together, Kim and Terry Pegula have owned the Sabres since 2010 and, while they haven't made the wisest on-ice and front office decisions, it's clear that they're passionate owners unafraid to do what they feel is best for the team. After years of penny pinching through the 1990s and 2000s under different ownership, the Pegulas have opened their checkbook as owners of the Sabres and have always put the team's best interests before anything else.

More from TSN:

"She was the woman behind my dad's success and my dad would happily admit that. She jumped into this journey with him and learned many lessons along the way, breaking a lot of barriers," Jessica Pegula wrote. "She was the shift in culture, positivity, and the heartbeat of many of the employees. She gave everyone so much of her time and effort. She lived it and loved it, and it was felt by everyone she met. Now we come to the realization that all of that is most likely gone. That she won't be able to be that person anymore."

- Jessica Pegula

Again, while I don't agree with every decision the Pegulas have made as owners of this team, I wouldn't wish poor health on anyone. Here's hoping Kim makes a full recovery.