Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/WGR 550) - "We all miss Rick, but none of us will forget him."
A week-and-a-half after the passing of longtime play-by-play broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, the Buffalo Sabres hosted a number of past players, as well as past and current coaches and broadcasters to speak and share some stories of the man who many consider the heart and soul of the organization.
Related
"We were so fortunate every day to walk around and get to spend time with RJ," said Sabres general manager and Clarence Center native Kevyn Adams during Sunday's "Remembering RJ: The Man Behind the Mic" tribute event at KeyBank Center. "He would come in the office, he'd make us laugh, he'd tells stories, give you a hard time sometimes to put you in a place, he was pretty good at that. But if I had to say one thing that probably all of us would take away the most would be the word 'passion'. The passion for his craft, the passion for this organization, the passion for the City of Buffalo and this community. We will honor that every single day moving forward as we go towards our quest to the Stanley Cup.
"What a gift he had, and what a gift to all of us that we were able to share for so many years. I'm so thankful for that."
LISTEN LIVE TO WGR:
Among the notable Sabres Alumni members in attendance on Sunday included Larry Playfair, Matthew Barnaby, Mike Weber, Andrew Peters, and many more.
One notable absence from Sunday's event was Sabres owner Terry Pegula, who was unable to attend due to some logistical issues. However, that didn't stop him from taking part one way or another, as Pegula did phone in to provide some thoughts on Jeanneret.
"I remember how quietly Rick used to make his way through KeyBank Center and around our offices, but with a mic in his hands and a mic in front of him, oh my, could he command a moment, get everyone's attention and paint a masterpiece with words. Rick helped me become a Sabres fan also," said Pegula on Sunday.
"The night we raised his banner at KeyBank Center, at the end of the ceremony, I saw him stuff his speech notes into his pocket. I asked him, 'Rick, can I have a copy of your notes from tonight?' He reached into his pocket and said, 'Here, you can have the original. I don't know why the heck you would want them.' I guess he just didn't understand. He was a legend."
Pegula also expressed his appreciation for Jeanneret by discussing their last text message exchange before his passing. Jeanneret texted Pegula the same day when his wife, Kim, was able to take in training camp practice in Rochester.
"The news broke, and Rick texted me immediately. I quote his text, 'Nicest news I've seen in ages. Godspeed to Kim and your family.' 18 days later, we lost Rick. Yet, in his last days, he graciously thought of my family and our well being," Pegula said.
Among the current coaches in attendance on Sunday was head coach Don Granato, who was a featured speaker during a special segment along with former captain and head coach Lindy Ruff, as well as former defenseman and assistant coach James Patrick.
While Granato has only been with the Sabres organization since 2019 when joining Ralph Krueger's coaching staff as an assistant coach, he understands the tremendous perspective Jeanneret brought to the organization through his career.
"I felt getting to know him more-and-more, he easily could have run an organization with his wisdom and the way he carried himself. The way he treated people, what he did for our group in the last couple of years, he was a walking inspiration," said Granato on Sunday. "He really had a great feel for the room, the mood, and he inspired our group, and our players that they could do more. You could see him deliver that message as he walked through, or he jumped on a plane with us or a bus with us. It was very powerful to watch it with our team, and we have a lot of our coaching staff here that know it was very powerful to them as well.
"The history he brought to our team, it definitely made our group, and myself want to be a Buffalo Sabre."
Granato says he got comfortable having Jeanneret around the organization on nearly a daily basis, and knows that things will be much different now knowing he is no longer with us.
"I think Alex Tuch, lots of our guys have spoken since, you can sense there's a loss there that we all have that we're not so sure how to even react or feel, or what it's going to be like. He's a big part of all of us moving forward," Granato said. "I know when the guys get here for training camp, those stories are going to really start to flourish as we go through camp. I just know that knowing our group, when they get together and they don't see him walking around, we're all going to miss him on that first day and all the way through. There's no question."
As for Ruff, he knew how infectious of a guy Jeanneret was to be around. He said he didn't know if the longtime play-by-play man ever had a bad day in the office. However, there is one aspect of Ruff's time in Buffalo - whether as a player or head coach - that he regrets the most.
One of my biggest disappointments was not being able to give RJ that Stanley Cup call. 'The Sabres are Stanley Cup champions.' I can't imagine what that call would have been like, or what that goal would have been like, or how Rick would have portrayed the whole event. But to me, I think you're looking at something that would have been spectacular to hear," said Ruff during his time on stage. "He was like the rest of us, he felt the pain of a loss. He just didn't show it maybe like I showed it, because sometimes I was a little bit hard on myself and other people. It's the only disappointment is not given Rick, and God bless you Rick, not giving him that Stanley Cup call."
One man that has been around the Sabres organization just as long as Jeanneret is former team equipment manager Rip Simonick. Not only did he spend a number of days with Jeanneret throughout his career in Buffalo, Simonick was also a close friend of his that will stay close to his heart for as long as he lives.
"RJ was a magnet. He was a magnet of positive attitude," said Simonick on Sunday. "He always thought about the best. No matter if you were a fourth line player, you were a seventh defenseman, you were a spare goalie, he would always be positive. 'Well, you'll have a better game.' He would never, ever criticize any player and their ability to play hockey, because he loved the Sabres."
Former Sabres winger Brad May will always have a special tie to Jeanneret as both a player and a broadcaster in the NHL. On the ice, he was the subject of Jeanneret's infamous call of "May Day!" during the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Off the ice, May got the chance to work with Jeanneret when he was a part of the MSG broadcast for several years.
When looking back on Jeanneret's tenure with the Sabres, May feels there's no body better to properly represent the organization.
"There's a lot of wonderful memories and names, and players that have come through this organization, but nobody as influential and as much of a statesman for the Buffalo Sabres in Western New York as Rick Jeanneret," said May. "Obviously Gilbert [Perreault], he's the legend we all look up to, but along with Gilbert, I think Rick Jeanneret is, and has been for 51 years, the face and certainly the voice of the Buffalo Sabres."
Former Sabres forward Jim Lorentz goes a long way back with Jeanneret, dating to his days playing junior hockey in Niagara Falls. After his playing days in the NHL ended, Lorentz then took to the broadcast booth and became Jeanneret's right-hand man for a long while.
If there is one thing Lorentz doesn't question is the fact that Jeanneret was born to do this job.
"His enthusiasm, his knowledge of the game, the way he loved Buffalo, loved the fans. It was a remarkable ride to be around him, to work with him, to listen to him all those years," said Lorentz on Sunday. "We have those headsets on, you never got tired of listening to him. He would forever amaze you.
"He was one of the most brilliant minds I've ever met. He would have excelled at any sport, doing play-by-play. From golf to baseball to NFL football, he was that good. He had that incredible talent of being able to recognize the moment, grasp it, and then put it into words. I've never seen anyone like him, and I don't think there ever will be."
Lorentz also knew very well how much Jeanneret loved the fans in Buffalo, and how much the fans loved him right back. While he was so beloved in Western New York, Lorentz pointed out Jeanneret set such a high standard for himself.
"That must have been a burden for him to carry, because he didn't want to disappoint the fans, he didn't want to let anybody down. So every game, he had to be at his best. If he wasn't, then he would have thought, 'Well, I let the fans down.' But in all the years I did games with him, there's so many, he never disappointed. He always was able to grasp the moment and describe it the way it should be, as only he could describe it," Lorentz said.
Speaking of the fans, a number of those fans made the trek to Downtown Buffalo on Sunday to not only take in the stories and memories of Jeanneret, but also pay their respects to a legend of Buffalo sports.
"He's the voice of hockey for me," said Sabres fan A.J. from West Seneca on Sunday. "As a Buffalo fan, you have your Bills fans or hockey fans, I've always been a Sabres fan. Whether I was on the road or at my dad's house, or whether I was here, I was always listening RJ. He painted the picture of the game, what you saw. I have friends who are blind who love Jeanneret, because he painted the picture for you like nobody else could."
For Sabres fan Jillian from Cheektowaga, she stuck with the team when she went to college and undergrad in Pittsburgh Penguins territory. Jeanneret's radio broadcasts were all she had left to connect herself with her favorite team.
"Just listening to him at night some nights, I could see what was happening without even watching it on TV. He was just fantastic, and he got you excited," said Jillian ahead of Sunday's event in Alumni Plaza. "Those heart-stopping moments, you felt it in your gut just the way he would use his voice to create that for you."
For Sabres fan Chris Giarratano of Cheektowaga, he felt Jeanneret was able to bring the excitement of the game to your earbuds without needing to watch the game.
"As a kid growing up, you heard someone who was just super into the game, exciting, all the calls," said Giarratano. "I remember from 'May Day!' to '[Lalalalala] LaFontaine' and everything like that. I grew up [with him], and I tried to pass that down to my son, and he's excited as well. I am also a season ticket holder, so that's part of the reason why. It's not just the team and the love for that, but also the love for him and his role."
As for what made Jeanneret so special for so many fans, Ginene Kazmierczak from Cheektowaga feels it was the way he always made his broadcasts about the fans.
"He always brought the fans into the game, no matter where he was," said Kazmierczak. "Even if it was just him standing outside the arena and talking with the fans. It was always about the fans."
You can re-listen to the entire "Remembering RJ" tribute event available in the player below:
Related
