Rick Jeanneret
Encyclopedia
Richard "Rick" Jeanneret (born 1942 in St. Catharines
, Ontario
, Canada
) is the television and radio play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's
Buffalo Sabres
and its broadcast network, the Sabres Hockey Network
. Having started with the team on radio during the 1971–72 season, he is the longest-tenured announcer in the NHL. He began doubling both television and radio play-by-play duties during the 1995–96 season. He is known as "RJ" within the Sabres organization and by close associates.
Jeanneret is a Canadian of Swiss descent. It is misunderstood that Jeanneret was born in Switzerland. He is actually a native of Canada
, born in St. Catharines
and raised in Terrace Bay. He is known for his energetic delivery (especially during big plays and fights), colorful player nicknames, passionate goal calls, and his trademark suspenders worn on air and uncanny appearance to late comedian Rodney Dangerfield
.
Jeanneret has announced every season of the Sabres' history except one; the inaugural season was announced by a then unknown 25-year-old Canadian broadcaster named Dave Hodge
, who the next year left to become the host of Hockey Night in Canada
. For the bulk of his 39-year career with the Sabres, Jeanneret has only missed two games due to illness, with longtime color commentary partner and former Sabre Jim Lorentz
taking over play-by-play duty during those 2 games. Occasionally he has taken nights off for other reasons. Notably during 2006–07 NHL season through the 2010-11 NHL season where he had taken vacation time while the Sabres go on west coast road trips. Jeanneret taking vacation time during the west coast road trips was the idea of former Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn
.
He worked alongside Lorentz for over 20 years before Lorentz retired. Harry Neale
, former color commentator for the Toronto Maple Leafs
regional broadcasts and was a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada
until the end of the 2006–07 season, is Jeanneret's partner for the MSG Network
and WGR
.
Junior A hockey game for the regular announcer, Edd Felstead, who had become sick. Jeanneret became the color analyst
the following season before assuming full-time
play by play radio duties in 1965. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Rick did several radio advertisements for local Niagara Falls hardware store Buildall. In 1971, Jeanneret had a trial run doing the call for the Cincinnati Swords
, the Sabres' top minor league
affiliate. When the Sabres took the ice for their second season, for a game with the Pittsburgh Penguins
at the Aud on October 10, 1971, Jeanneret was in the radio booth high above the ice surface.
From 1984 until 1992, he did the Sabres' play-by-play in addition to being a popular early-morning disc jockey
at CJRN-AM
in Niagara Falls, Ontario
. In 1992, he chose to retire from CJRN and concentrate solely on the Sabres. "I had enough of two jobs. I finished the game, came home and had to be up by 4 a.m.," he said.
Jeanneret helped close the Aud on the final night of the regular season in 1996 with an emotional tribute to his colleague Ted Darling
, who was the voice of the Sabres from 1970 until worsening of his Pick's Disease
forced him to retire in the midst of the 1991–92 season. "I wish that standing next to me right now would be Ted Darling," said Jeanneret from the ice surface in a postgame ceremony. "See you in September, one block in that direction," said Jeanneret, pointing toward the new arena, then dubbed the Crossroads Arena and now called First Niagara Center.
In 2005, Jeanneret and the Sabres released a CD that collected some of his most memorable calls. Proceeds from the CD, which was titled Roll the Highlight Film, went to charity. It was followed up in 2006 with Top Shelf (named after his signature call, "Top Shelf, where momma hides the cookies!"), a similarly themed DVD
.
Due to increasing age and health concerns, Jeanneret's retirement has been long rumored and speculated. Each year since the 2004–05 NHL lockout, however, Jeanneret has effectively agreed to "one more year." Jeanneret's contract was extended in 2007 through the 2008–09 NHL season
. It was further extended in 2008 through the 2009–10 season. He was back for the 2010–11 season along with Neale. Like in recent seasons, Jeanneret was on vacation while the Sabres had a pair of west coast road trips and a home game against the Boston Bruins
from December 27, 2010 through January 8, 2011. He was also be off when the Sabres played the Ottawa Senators
in Ottawa on January 25, 2011. During Jeanneret's vacation, his son Mark and Kevin Sylvester
filled in on play-by-play from December 27, 2010 through January 8, 2011. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article197360.ece
On May 26, 2011, the Sabres announced that Jeanneret (and Neale) would only cover home games and 10 to 15 road games for the Sabres in the 2011-12 NHL season. The road games will be determined once the 2011-2012 schedule will be released. This is in preparation for Jeanneret's pending retirement, in which Jeanneret stated that he almost retired after the 2010–11 season, but sought the reduced schedule instead. Studio host Kevin Sylvester has been tabbed to call those road games, along with Danny Gare
. On August 31, 2011, the Sabres announced that Jeanneret, along with former Sabre Dale Hawerchuk
were inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on November 8, 2011.
Jeanneret appeared in a commercial for Molson Canadian
, giving a call for a pick-up pond hockey game.
Rick has two sons, Mark and Chris. His son Mark Jeanneret is the play-by-play announcer for the Portland Pirates
and was a substitute for Rick with the Buffalo Sabres on December 27 and 28, 2010 on games against the Calgary Flames
and Edmonton Oilers
. Chris is a Radio Broadcasting teacher at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario.
finals. The game was said to have taken place at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
, classic Sabres audio clips were played during intermission, and WNSA purposely held out any regular game staff from the commentary who had actually played on the 1974–75 team so as to make it seem as if they were actually playing the game. (For instance, color commentator Jim Lorentz
was replaced by Mike Robitaille
, who played for the Sabres in 1974–75 but had been traded before the playoffs, and WNSA hosts filled in other positions.) The 1975 team won the game thanks to Gilbert Perreault
's game winning shootout goal.http://www.staffannouncer.com/airchecks.htm
In all actuality, many of the members of the 1974–75 squad are still together, working for the Sabres organization and playing occasionally for the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team
.
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is the television and radio play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and its broadcast network, the Sabres Hockey Network
Sabres Hockey Network
The Sabres Hockey Network is the official radio and television broadcast network of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. The network is currently operated jointly by the Sabres and by Entercom Communications....
. Having started with the team on radio during the 1971–72 season, he is the longest-tenured announcer in the NHL. He began doubling both television and radio play-by-play duties during the 1995–96 season. He is known as "RJ" within the Sabres organization and by close associates.
Jeanneret is a Canadian of Swiss descent. It is misunderstood that Jeanneret was born in Switzerland. He is actually a native of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, born in St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
and raised in Terrace Bay. He is known for his energetic delivery (especially during big plays and fights), colorful player nicknames, passionate goal calls, and his trademark suspenders worn on air and uncanny appearance to late comedian Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
.
Jeanneret has announced every season of the Sabres' history except one; the inaugural season was announced by a then unknown 25-year-old Canadian broadcaster named Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge is a Canadian sports announcer who currently works for TSN, and has worked in the past for the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto.-Broadcasting career:...
, who the next year left to become the host of Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
. For the bulk of his 39-year career with the Sabres, Jeanneret has only missed two games due to illness, with longtime color commentary partner and former Sabre Jim Lorentz
Jim Lorentz
James Peter Lorentz, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970. He was the color analyst for the Sabres on the...
taking over play-by-play duty during those 2 games. Occasionally he has taken nights off for other reasons. Notably during 2006–07 NHL season through the 2010-11 NHL season where he had taken vacation time while the Sabres go on west coast road trips. Jeanneret taking vacation time during the west coast road trips was the idea of former Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn
Larry Quinn
Lawrence J. Quinn was an All-American lacrosse goaltender at the Johns Hopkins University from 1982 to 1985, leading the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1984 and 1985, and two additional finals appearances in 1982 and 1983. He was high school All-American in...
.
He worked alongside Lorentz for over 20 years before Lorentz retired. Harry Neale
Harry Neale
Harold Watson Neale is a hockey colour commentator, who currently works for the Buffalo Sabres on the Sabres Hockey Network...
, former color commentator for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
regional broadcasts and was a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
until the end of the 2006–07 season, is Jeanneret's partner for the MSG Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
and WGR
WGR
WGR, or WGR Sports Radio 550, is an all sports radio station in Buffalo, New York that broadcasts on 550 AM. It is the flagship station of the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bandits, and is currently the only full-time sports talk station in the city of Buffalo. Its studios are located in Amherst,...
.
Career
In 1963, Jeanneret took over the play-by-play of a Niagara Falls FlyersNiagara Falls Flyers
----The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982....
Junior A hockey game for the regular announcer, Edd Felstead, who had become sick. Jeanneret became the color analyst
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
the following season before assuming full-time
Full time
Full-time employment is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave, sickleave, and health...
play by play radio duties in 1965. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Rick did several radio advertisements for local Niagara Falls hardware store Buildall. In 1971, Jeanneret had a trial run doing the call for the Cincinnati Swords
Cincinnati Swords
The Cincinnati Swords are a defunct American Hockey League team, founded in 1971, when the newly created NHL expansion team, Buffalo Sabres, exercised their option to create their own AHL farm team to replace the team they forced out of the AHL, the Buffalo Bisons...
, the Sabres' top minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
affiliate. When the Sabres took the ice for their second season, for a game with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
at the Aud on October 10, 1971, Jeanneret was in the radio booth high above the ice surface.
From 1984 until 1992, he did the Sabres' play-by-play in addition to being a popular early-morning disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at CJRN-AM
CJRN (AM)
CJRN is a radio station in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, which airs tourist information programming at AM 710. The "RN" in the call is for Radio Niagara....
in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
. In 1992, he chose to retire from CJRN and concentrate solely on the Sabres. "I had enough of two jobs. I finished the game, came home and had to be up by 4 a.m.," he said.
Jeanneret helped close the Aud on the final night of the regular season in 1996 with an emotional tribute to his colleague Ted Darling
Ted Darling
Edgar Lee "Ted" Darling , was the original "Voice of the Buffalo Sabres" ice hockey team for twenty-two seasons, calling the team's games on television from the team's inaugural season in 1970 to 1991...
, who was the voice of the Sabres from 1970 until worsening of his Pick's Disease
Pick's disease
Pick's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of speech , and dementia. While some of the symptoms can initially be alleviated, the disease progresses and patients often die within two to ten years...
forced him to retire in the midst of the 1991–92 season. "I wish that standing next to me right now would be Ted Darling," said Jeanneret from the ice surface in a postgame ceremony. "See you in September, one block in that direction," said Jeanneret, pointing toward the new arena, then dubbed the Crossroads Arena and now called First Niagara Center.
In 2005, Jeanneret and the Sabres released a CD that collected some of his most memorable calls. Proceeds from the CD, which was titled Roll the Highlight Film, went to charity. It was followed up in 2006 with Top Shelf (named after his signature call, "Top Shelf, where momma hides the cookies!"), a similarly themed DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Due to increasing age and health concerns, Jeanneret's retirement has been long rumored and speculated. Each year since the 2004–05 NHL lockout, however, Jeanneret has effectively agreed to "one more year." Jeanneret's contract was extended in 2007 through the 2008–09 NHL season
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...
. It was further extended in 2008 through the 2009–10 season. He was back for the 2010–11 season along with Neale. Like in recent seasons, Jeanneret was on vacation while the Sabres had a pair of west coast road trips and a home game against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
from December 27, 2010 through January 8, 2011. He was also be off when the Sabres played the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Ottawa on January 25, 2011. During Jeanneret's vacation, his son Mark and Kevin Sylvester
Kevin Sylvester (broadcaster)
Kevin Sylvester is the alternate television and radio play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and its broadcast network, the Sabres Hockey Network...
filled in on play-by-play from December 27, 2010 through January 8, 2011. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article197360.ece
On May 26, 2011, the Sabres announced that Jeanneret (and Neale) would only cover home games and 10 to 15 road games for the Sabres in the 2011-12 NHL season. The road games will be determined once the 2011-2012 schedule will be released. This is in preparation for Jeanneret's pending retirement, in which Jeanneret stated that he almost retired after the 2010–11 season, but sought the reduced schedule instead. Studio host Kevin Sylvester has been tabbed to call those road games, along with Danny Gare
Danny Gare
Daniel Mirl Gare is a retired National Hockey League player, most notably of the Buffalo Sabres. During a 14-year professional career, Gare also played for the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers. He was a two-time All-Star right winger who twice scored 50 goals for the Buffalo Sabres,...
. On August 31, 2011, the Sabres announced that Jeanneret, along with former Sabre Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001...
were inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on November 8, 2011.
Jeanneret appeared in a commercial for Molson Canadian
Molson Canadian
Molson Canadian is a brand of 5% abv North American lager brewed by Molson, the Canadian division of Molson Coors Brewing Company. The beer was introduced in 1959.-Awards:Molson Canadian has won several beer industry awards, including:...
, giving a call for a pick-up pond hockey game.
Rick has two sons, Mark and Chris. His son Mark Jeanneret is the play-by-play announcer for the Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...
and was a substitute for Rick with the Buffalo Sabres on December 27 and 28, 2010 on games against the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
and Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. Chris is a Radio Broadcasting teacher at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario.
The Sabres Showdown
On April 9, 2001, as part of a promotion on radio station WNSA (at the time the Sabres' flagship station), Jeanneret called a fictional game known as the "Sabres Showdown." The fictional matchup was simulated on the NHL 2001 video game, and was said to be a matchup between the 1974–75 Buffalo Sabres and the 1998–99 Sabres, both of whom had been to the Stanley CupStanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
finals. The game was said to have taken place at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Buffalo Stallions of MSL, the Buffalo Bandits of MILL, the Buffalo Blizzard of the second NPSL and the Buffalo...
, classic Sabres audio clips were played during intermission, and WNSA purposely held out any regular game staff from the commentary who had actually played on the 1974–75 team so as to make it seem as if they were actually playing the game. (For instance, color commentator Jim Lorentz
Jim Lorentz
James Peter Lorentz, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970. He was the color analyst for the Sabres on the...
was replaced by Mike Robitaille
Mike Robitaille
Michael James David Robitaille is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks...
, who played for the Sabres in 1974–75 but had been traded before the playoffs, and WNSA hosts filled in other positions.) The 1975 team won the game thanks to Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for seventeen seasons with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he was regarded as one of the...
's game winning shootout goal.http://www.staffannouncer.com/airchecks.htm
In all actuality, many of the members of the 1974–75 squad are still together, working for the Sabres organization and playing occasionally for the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team
Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team
The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team is an independent barnstorming hockey team located in Buffalo, New York. Its roster consists entirely of retired National Hockey League players, mostly former members of the Buffalo Sabres...
.