BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — It might feel like an overdue honor to some, but tonight Rob "Rayzor" Ray was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame for his years of dedication to the team on and off the ice.
"It's pretty cool," Ray said. "You know you walk out there and I stood there with Terry (Pegula) this morning when he unveiled it to me, and I'm standing there with the coaches, Terry, and a bunch of people, I almost cried. This was pretty darn neat."
Alongside his family, friends and teammates, Ray was honored for being the epitome of a team-first player and the very definition of an enforcer who never held back a punch defending those he cared about.
"He's here because everybody else he enabled them, he gave them opportunities to succeed," former teammate Brad May said. "It's pretty cool when you actually have a big brother on the bench. I got a lot of nights where I was able to avoid certain situations because I had Rob Ray that took advantage of the biggest and the strongest."
Off the ice, Ray's career is now devoted to being the President of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association. His work has been crucial in ensuring future Sabres never forget the path that was paved by those who donned the colors before them.
"Something has to get passed down if you want to build a history," former goalie Ryan Miller said. "We all respected what he did as a player and that makes it easier. You get to know Rob as a person and you can tell by the way guys interact with him and he supports the guys in everything they do."
Ray's been a part of the Sabres broadcast team since 2003. It was there he developed a profound friendship with the legendary Rick Jeanneret, gaining a view of life he'll never forget.
"There was a big age difference but we had so much fun with the things we talked about," he said. "You know I probably talked more about life with him than any other person."
And as for the Sabres, they won 4-3 over the Nashville Predators. Rookie Jiri Kulich had two goals in the victory.
