The Buffalo Sabres will honor the life and career of former play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret on Sunday, August 27th at KeyBank Center with a special tribute featuring roundtable conversations with broadcasters and alumni. “Remembering RJ: The Man Behind the Mic” will begin at 5 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30pm.
The event will also air on MSG and stream live on Sabres.com as well as the team’s official social platforms. As part of the special programming, alumni in attendance will share stories of the Sabres’ legendary broadcaster, who passed away August 17th at the age of 81. Out of respect for RJ and his family’s wishes, a full memorial service will not be held. The RJ display currently located in Alumni Plaza will remain in place through the weekend.
Jeanneret called Sabres games from 1971 until his retirement in 2022 and served as the team’s broadcaster emeritus last season. RJ was a member of the Sabres Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame (as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award in 2012), the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Township of Terrace Bay, Ontario’s Sports Wall of Fame, and an honorary member of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. He is one of only 11 members of the Sabres organization to have a banner raised to the rafters of KeyBank Center in his honor.
