Rick Jeanneret will forever reside in the top shelf of the KeyBank Center rafters.
The retiring Buffalo Sabres broadcaster will be the toast of the town before the team's April 1 game against the Nashville Predators, as he will be honored in an "RJ Night" ceremony that will culminate in a banner raising that will put him in the company of the franchise's retired numbers.
The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica banner upon entering the building. There will be tributes throughout the night to Jeanneret's career, which was highlighted by his 2012 nod as the Foster Hewitt Award winner by the Hockey Hall of Fame.
RJ’s name is going in the rafters, forever.April 1st. Be there: https://t.co/bPJ7fMxcKH#LetsGoBuffalo | @Wegmans pic.twitter.com/TllLVmaNFa
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 7, 2022
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Jeanneret's banner will join those honoring seven players (Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Tim Horton, Danny Gare, Pat LaFontaine and Dominik Hasek), as well as original owners Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox.Â
Jeanneret, 79, is in his 51st and final season behind the microphone for the Sabres and is doing a schedule of around 20 games the club has dubbed "RJ's Final Call." It concludes with the season finale April 29 against Chicago.
Since joining the Sabres broadcast team in 1971 for the franchise's second season, Jeanneret has become the longest-tenured announcer in the NHL. He was inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jeanneret has called nine of the Sabres' home games thus far this season, including Thursday's loss to San Jose. He is scheduled to do the call of Buffalo's next game, Tuesday's visit by two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay.
