Sabres fans welcome Rasmus Dahlin's fiancée to first game after heart transplant
Carolina Matovac, the 25-year-old fiancée of Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin, attended her first game of the 2024-25 NHL season on December 4, 2024, during the team's home matchup against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.[1][2]
Matovac was shown on the Jumbotron, prompting loud cheers from the crowd as she waved. A split-screen featured Dahlin on the bench, smiling at the fans' reaction. Arena announcer Andrew Bolduc welcomed her, saying: "Welcome home to Carolina Matovac, the fiancée of our captain Rasmus Dahlin. She is back with us, attending her first game of the season. The Sabrehood loves you, Carolina."[1][3]
Dahlin, a 24-year-old Swedish defenceman named the 16th captain in franchise history on October 9, 2024, shared in a September 12 open letter that Matovac suffered sudden heart failure while on vacation in France over the summer.[4][5] She received multiple rounds of CPR, was placed on life support for weeks and underwent a heart transplant there.[4]
In a January 2025 Instagram post marking what would have been her due date, Matovac revealed she was pregnant at the time of the incident. The unborn child prompted her initial hospital visit, though it did not survive.[1][6]
The Sabres lost 3-2 to the Bruins before a crowd of 16,110. Dahlin has 25 points (5 goals, 20 assists) in 27 games this season, second on the team to Tage Thompson's 27 points.[2][7]
Buffalo, with a 12-12-3 record and 27 points after the game, occupies a wild-card position in the Eastern Conference as it aims to end a 13-season playoff drought, the longest active streak in the NHL.[2][8]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "Buffalo Sabres fans welcome back Rasmus Dahlin fiancée after heart transplant", December 5, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/buffalo-sabres-fans-welcome-back-rasmus-dahlin-fiancee-heart-transplant
- NHL.com, "Bruins 3, Sabres 2 Game Boxscore", December 4, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-buf/2024/12/04/2024020553
- WKBW, "Sabres fans welcome Rasmus Dahlin's fiancée with standing ovation in first game back since heart transplant", December 4, 2024, https://www.wkbw.com/sports/buffalo-sabres/sabres-fans-welcome-rasmus-dahlins-fiancee-with-standing-ovation-in-first-game-back-since-heart-transplant
- NHL.com, "Sabres' Dahlin provides update on fiancée's recovery from heart transplant", September 13, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/sabres-dahlin-shares-update-on-fiancee-health-scare-heart-transplant-358116382
- Buffalo Sabres (official), "Rasmus Dahlin open letter" (via Instagram), September 12, 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C_4ZfJTOv0g/
- Buffalo Hockey Now, "Rasmus Dahlin’s Fiancée Shares Heartbreaking Details About Pregnancy During Heart Failure", January 15, 2025, https://buffalohockeynow.com/2025/01/15/rasmus-dahlin-fiancee-carolina-matrovac-pregnancy-heart-failure/
- NHL.com, "2024-25 Buffalo Sabres Skater Stats", accessed December 5, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/sabres/stats
- NHL.com, "2024-25 NHL Standings", accessed December 5, 2024, https://www.nhl.com/standings/20242025
