Rick Jeanneret, the legendary play-by-play broadcaster of the Buffalo Sabres for over 50 years, died Thursday night, as announced by the Sabres. He was 81.
Jeanneret, known for his enthusiastic and powerful goal calls, was a fixture in Buffalo Sabres highlights for over five decades. Jeanneret started with the Sabres in their second season in 1971 until his retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Jeanneret was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, and spent most of his adult life living in Niagara Falls. In 1963, Jeanneret took over the play-by-play of the Junior A Niagara Falls Flyers.
Joining the Sabres in 1971, Jeanneret formed a legendary partnership with Ted Darling, the “Voice of the Buffalo Sabres.” For over 20 years, the duo provided many memorable highlights, many of which Sabres fans recite word for word.
Moving full-time to television in 1995, Jeanneret worked alongside color commentator and former Sabres forward Jim Lorentz. Moving to simulcast in 1997, Jeanneret called the game on both radio and TV.
In Jeanneret’s final season in 2021-22, the Sabres honored the longtime broadcaster with a series of highlight packages throughout the season called “RJ’s Last Call.”
His final season was capped off with RJ Night in KeyBank Center on April 1, 2022, against the Nashville Predators. Jeanneret was honored with his name raised to the rafters during a pregame ceremony.
He was inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame in 2011 and was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Hall of Fame, Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jeanneret is survived by his wife, Sandra, and sons, Mark and Chris.
