AMHERST, N.Y. — Fans and hockey players alike are remembering Rick Jeanneret as someone who truly loved the game and his job.
"Always listened to him, you know, always listened to the voice and all that even down in San Antonio, you know, we'd listen to him. Get the remote broadcast," Sabres fan Jim Campbell said.
You would be hard pressed to find a Sabres fan, or hockey player, who doesn't have vivid fond memories of Rick Jeanneret.
"He was so special. His voice was so unique, and he was always having fun, and you couldn't help but share with that fun. He painted the picture so well of what was going on on the ice, and I remember as a little kid, we lived out in the country, and we could still hear the games, and it was great," Sabres fan David Smith said.
Smith used to work on the ice crew at the arena and would run into Jeanneret quite a bit.
"He'd always say hi and come over and say pleasant things, and he was just a good guy. And he loved the sport, it was obvious in the passion of his announcing. When somebody scored, you know, especially a big goal, it was like you couldn't help but jump on board," Smith said.
"He made watching hockey more exciting than playing it sometimes," added Sabres fan Gregory Zaker.
And it doesn't matter if you play just for fun, or played as a pro , RJ made a big impact.
"He was so genuine and true, and what you saw is what you got, and he never tried to be anything different, and a great friend, and he was a very loyal person, and there was no bigger fan to the Sabres than Rick Jeanneret," Sabres alumni and broadcaster Rob Ray said. "As a player, you couldn't wait to get off the ice to see how he described something.
"You know, you talk to the people, the fans, that's what they look forward to. They have better memories of the way he described things than the actual plays themselves, so he just gave everything he had and working with him, he demanded the people that worked with him give everything they have, too. He never took a day off. He never took a shortcut."
Some fans made a lunchtime pilgrimage to Alumni Plaza to pay their respects on Friday, while others shared memories online.
E.J. Butler said in an email, "Rick Jeanneret has been the voice in my ear since I was 11 years old. When he called the radio broadcasts in the early 70s, I'd often go to sleep to his voice calling late night West Coast games with a transistor radio under my pillow. He narrated some of the happiest moments of my life these past 50 plus years and provided the hockey soundtrack that will play in my head forever. He was, simply, top shelf."
Added Gregory Zaker: "That was the thing with him, you didn't feel like he was working when he was doing it. He was doing something he loved and he made you love it with him. The biggest one was the May Day goal. I was just getting into hockey when I saw that live happening and it was just the play that happened, the person who made the play and the call he made with it, it was just, just an incredible memory for hockey, not just the Sabres, not just Rick Jeanneret, but he made it special for hockey."
