Though Rick Jeanneret’s booming, youthful voice has gone silent, his memory will remain cherished by generations of fans and NHL players who heard him call Buffalo Sabres games over a 51-year career.
Messages of condolence paying tribute to the broadcaster affectionally nicknamed “RJ” and regarded as the voice of the Sabres began pouring in almost immediately after the team announced he had died on Thursday. He was 81.
The Sabres released a statement from Jeanneret’s family saying he died with his family by his side following a two-year battle with multi-organ failure.
“He will be loved forever,” the statement said.
Your voice will echo forever. <br><br>Honoring and remembering the life and legacy of Rick Jeanneret. ???? <a href=”https://t.co/CmNu0yxTAo”>pic.twitter.com/CmNu0yxTAo</a>
The magnitude of his legacy and the many people he touched was apparent a day later, with “RIPRJ” trending on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
“Sharing my sympathy with the Jeanneret family on Rick’s passing,” wrote former Chicago star Patrick Kane, who grew up in Buffalo. “He was one of the biggest reasons I liked the Sabres so much growing up.”
“I’m sad.. I’m crying…RIP RJ,” wrote former Sabres player Matthew Barnaby. “We all love you.”
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, a former Sabres co-captain, released a statement expressing his sadness.
“The Sabres family, the city of Buffalo and the National Hockey League lost an iconic voice of the game and a true gentlemen,” Briere said. “I will tell you that the calls he produced will live in a special place in my heart forever.”
Jeanneret’s career calling Sabres games began at the start of the 1971-72 season, the franchise’s second in existence, and ended with his retirement following the 2021-22 season. He achieved the NHL’s highest broadcasting honour in 2012 upon earning the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, and his tenure as a play-by-play announcer with one team is the longest in league history.
“Rick was indeed a very special and very loved man, to and by all, who knew him and listened to him, his magic, and his command,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said. “How glad I am to have known him. How lucky were we all to have been around him and to have listened to him.
It was in part through Jeanneret how Pegula became a fan of the Sabres and their famed French Connection line of the 1970s by listening to the team’s games on radio while living in Pittsburgh. Pegula and his wife bought the franchise in February 2011.
“Growing up in Buffalo, Rick Jeanneret was not just the voice of the Sabres, he was the voice of our city. He helped foster my love of hockey,” added Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. “I don’t think there’s a hockey fan in the world that doesn’t know that voice. You can close your eyes and that’s just the voice and that will be with us all forever.”
Jeanneret was known for having various signature calls including “Top shelf, where mama hides the cookies” whenever a Sabres player scored by roofing a shot high into the net.
One of his most memorable calls was “May Day! May Day!” after Brad May scored the decisive goal in a 6-5 overtime win to clinch a four-game series sweep of Boston in the first round of the 1993 playoffs. It was also Buffalo’s first playoff series win in 10 years.
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His other notable calls included “La-la-la-la-Fontaine!” which followed whenever former Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine scored in the 1990s. And there was his “Now do you believe?” call during the Sabres’ run to the Eastern Conference final in 2006.
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The Sabres honoured Jeanneret during his final season by raising a banner bearing his name to the arena rafters. He is one of 11 people to have been honoured by the team, and third non-player, joining team founders, brothers Seymour and Northrup Knox.
Jeanneret did his best to keep his emotions in check during the ceremony amid a sold-out crowd chanting “RJ! RJ! RJ!”
“I stood down here 10 years ago upon my induction into the Sabres Hall of Fame, and I remember saying that night, this is the only job I ever wanted. This is the only place I wanted to be,” Jeanneret said during the ceremony. “I meant every word on that particular night. And boy, do I mean it now.”
Adams said the team is in discussions on how to honour Jeanneret.
“But I can tell you that we’re going to celebrate RJ every day,” Adams said. “You walk into KeyBank Center, he’s part of the fabric of this organization.”
Jeanneret grew up in nearby St. Catharines, Ont., and lived in Niagara Falls.
He had several health scares, which led to him reducing his travel schedule.
In 2014, he was diagnosed with throat cancer but missed just a few games during the 2014-15 season after receiving treatment. In 2016, he was fitted with a pacemaker due to a slow pulse.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra, his children, Mark, Chris and Shelly, and numerous grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
