Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres and their fans celebrated the life of Rick Jeanneret on Sunday during the "Remembering RJ: The Man Behind the Mic" tribute event. Some of the people participating were Brad May, Lindy Ruff, Jim Lorentz, Danny Gare and Rip Simonick.
Despite being the head coach of the New Jersey Devils, Ruff still spends time in Western New York. Ruff said he wouldn’t have missed this remembrance of RJ for the world. He added sitting on stage brought back his days as a player and coach of the Sabres.
"It brought back a lot of great memories," said Ruff following Sunday's event. "We're here for RJ, but so many fond memories of being in the building, being around RJ. He was a gift to be around.
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"It was probably a gift I didn’t use enough, because you’re so caught up in the coaching part of it. Looking back, I wished I would’ve spent a lot more time with him, because he was an incredible guy just to have a conversation with, whether it was about hockey or life."
During the ceremony, Ruff said, at times, they would play some pretty bad hockey and he would make it sound like they were playing really well.
"He could take what looked like something pretty simple and make it into something that was pretty fantastic," he said.
Ruff talked about the big hit defenseman Brian Campbell put on Philadelphia Flyers forward R.J. Umberger in Game 1 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Round. He says Jeanneret made it so you could feel the hit going right through Umberger.
Ruff says his biggest regret was not giving Jeanneret a Stanley Cup.
"I really felt that I wanted to hear Rick call either the game-winning goal or the finish to the game. You would’ve known that something unbelievable just happened."
Brad May worked with RJ as a broadcaster, but was also responsible for, arguably, Jeanneret’s most iconic call when he scored the series-clinching goal in overtime against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the 1993 Prince of Wales Division Semifinal Round. That call featured Rick screaming, "May Day! May Day!"
May says the players would listen to him all the time following a game.
"He brought so much enjoyment and excitement," said May following Sunday's event. "He would illustrate or paint that picture, and he was our first line. And the connection to the fans would be what RJ would say about us."
On his goal in the 1993 playoffs, May absolutely undressed Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque and the deked goalie Andy Moog right out of his jock. I asked which part of the goal did May like the most and he said all of the above.
"And the car rally to the bar afterwards was fun too," May joked. "But he was in radio at the time, and I don’t believe I heard the call until the next day."
Years later, May also joked with RJ, "Rick, I did score the goal, right?"
"All things considered, it was the greatest call of all time," May said. "I had a part of it, and we had a lot of laughs."
That call gave May his nickname of "May Day", and it still remains 30 years later.
What a great night it was. There was a lot of laughter and tears, as former colleagues and friends remembered the legendary Rick Jeanneret.
