Rick Jeanneret

Rick Jeanneret

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 play-by-play announcer in NHL history. He moved to television during the 1995–96 season and began doubling both television and radio play-by-play duties during the 1997–98 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 resemblance 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 41-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, was Jeanneret's partner until the 2011-12 season. Former Sabres enforcer Rob Ray is Jeanneret's current partner for the MSG Network and WGR.