BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — It may feel like an overdue honor to some, but tonight Rob “Rayzor” Ray for his years of dedication to the Buffalo Sabres on and off the ice was inducted into the team’s hall of fame.
"It’s pretty cool. Walked out 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," Rob Ray told reporters on Friday. "This was pretty darn neat.”
Alongside his family and close friends, former teammates, coaches, and staff, Rayzor 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 everyone else he enabled them, he gave them opportunities to succeed. It's pretty cool when you have a big brother on the bench," his former teammate Brad May added. "I got a lot of nights where I got to avoid a lot of situations because I had Rob Ray that took advantage of the biggest and the strongest.”
Off the ice, his career is now devoted to being the president of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Organization. His work was crucial in ensuring future Sabres never forgot the path that was paved by those who donned the colors before them.
“Something has to be passed down if you want to build a history. We all respect what he did as a player and that makes it easier," Ryan Miller says about Ray. "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 and we support him.”
The other part he’s devoted so much time to is his broadcast career. Where he’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.
“I looked at RJ and yeah there was a big age difference but we had so much fun with the things we talked about. You know I probably talked more about life with him than anyone else," Ray adds
A truly special night here in Buffalo, and as for the Sabres they won 4-3 over the Nashville Predators. Rookie Jiri Kulich had two goals in the victory.
