There was one Rick Jeanneret and then they threw away the mold.
There was one Rick Jeanneret and then they threw away the mold.
The man who began calling Buffalo Sabres games on October 10, 1971 has died at age 81 and hockey broadcasting never will be the same.
Really, there are only a precious few play-by-play broadcasters from yesteryear who legitimately can be called legends.
Foster Hewitt, who invented the art in the 1920's -- as well as the always used line: "HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES!" stands above them all. Danny Gallivan is another.
That's why there's a Foster Hewitt Award and that's why Rick Jeanneret won that prize in 2012. They should have let Rick keep the thing and strike a new one. After all, Jeanneret goes down in the books as the longest tenured announcer in NHL history. Think about it, nobody else past or present can make that statement.
He was -- and I say this as an understatement -- a Buffalo institution. Sabres owner Terry Pegula said it best and succinctly with these words: "Rick was a very special and loved man."
His honors were endless, including a banner at KeyBank Center and membership in the Sabres Hall of Fame among endless other awards and tributes.
"Rick was the voice of our city," said Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.
Who could deny that of the man who worked 51 years -- count 'em fifty-one years -- behind a microphone?
As a fellow broadcaster, I knew Rick only in passing since he was doing his thing and I was doing mine. But we'd chat from time to time in press rooms and over pre-game dinners.
Among hockey personalities, I can say with certainty that he was a gentleman and hockey scholar. What better proof than such Jeanneret-isms as "MAY DAY." or "TOP SHELF WHERE MOMMA HIDES THE COOKIES."
Now you know why Rick Jeanneret will be sorely missed!