BUFFALO, N.Y. — Saturday morning, in the hangover of an emotional night, two of the Buffalo Sabres leaders who helped longtime play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret on and off the ice beamed with pride over the full house at KeyBank Center in his honor on RJ Night.
"I said that's a top-three game as a Sabre, and then I quickly learned that was probably the most fun that I've had in this rink," alternate captain Kyle Okposo said.
The Sabres hosted their first sellout in more than two years Friday night, in a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
"Being a Sabres fan since I was 3 years old, it meant a lot to me to see someone who really propelled my love for the game to be honored in that way. It was just a phenomenal night in general, and it was great that we got the win, but it afterwards just the applause and the gratitude everyone showed him was phenomenal," winger Alex Tuch said.
Tuch said it was an organic moment and unplanned when he and center Cody Eakin escorted Jeanneret onto the ice for a team photo.
"It was something that kind of, just heat of the moment, happened. I think it worked out perfectly. ... It was emotional, it was a lot of fun," Tuch said.
Now the players who are in Buffalo are hoping to grow the organization Jeanneret has represented for 51 seasons, organically, too.
"I said from the first day of the year that this whole thing has to happen the way it's supposed to, and organically, and you know, we're just going to continue to build," Okposo said.
"I think that the last number of weeks, we play the Vegas game and play the outdoor game, and we played some emotional games, and this last night was one of them."