Hockey world pays tribute to Rick Jeanneret

Iconic.

Electric.

Legendary.

These are just some of the adjectives that have been used to describe former Buffalo Sabres play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret, who passed away Thursday at the age of 81. Although words can't fully describe what he meant to the organization, its fans and hockey enthusiasts across the globe, everyone can agree that his words and voice will play in our minds forever.

On Friday, those who knew RJ shared memories to honor the life and legacy of the Hall of Famer.

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Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams: "I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to get up every day and do the job I do, have the opportunity to lead this organization. A lot of why I feel that way is because growing up in Buffalo and being in the barn, stickhandling, shooting, pretending I was Gilbert Perreault and announcing the game in my head was RJ. He had such an impact on my passion for the game, passion for the Buffalo Sabres organization."

Sabres coach Don Granato: "He makes you proud to be a Sabre. Historically, he is just an amazing guy. He was just an amazing person and so deep, so much depth that he could reach our entire locker room, or he could reach players individually. And same with our coaching staff. He'd just walk in our coaching room and sense the mood right away and influence it in a real positive manner by the time he left that room, with perspective, with tact, with humor."

Sabres forward Alex Tuch: "On a personal note, I want to just say thank you to Rick. My earliest memories of hockey are of him calling the Sabres games. He had a couple of the most iconic calls in sports history, let alone hockey. … He was the history of Buffalo hockey, and he lived it. And the history of Buffalo hockey lived through him."

Sabres alumnus and broadcaster Rob Ray: "I asked him one time, I said, 'Hey look, why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep working? You're 80 years old!' (75 at the time, maybe). He goes, 'I have to. The people depend on me.' ... He just loved the people and I think that's the biggest thing and he never took advantage of his [position]. He always respected the opportunity that he was getting and until his last day, he still thought that was the greatest opportunity in the world."

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Sabres Hall-of-Fame forward and former broadcaster Danny Gare: "RJ was a special, special man. … He was just a good man. He always gave to the community. He'd come to my golf tournament - just call him up, 'Yeah, I'll be there.' Anything with charity work, he was around. He was always easy and approachable. The thing that Kevyn Adams mentioned in his response was - and I thought it was a great line - not only was he the voice of the Sabres, but he was the voice of the city. And he certainly did that so well for so many years. I'm glad to call him a friend.

Sabres Hall-of-Fame equipment manager Rip Simonick: "One of my saddest moments, other than yesterday when he passed, was I never got to hear his calls live. I was always on the bench, I was always in the locker room, I was doing something. But for sure, I listened to every one of his calls after the game, on the plane, on the replays. And one thing about RJ, he makes you comfortable. He banters back and forth with Rob Ray. I don't know if Rob Ray would even challenge him, because RJ would kick his butt. We know that. But we have to respect what he stood for and why he stood for is."

Kyle Okposo Shares Thoughts On Rick Jeanneret](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-vLyqU2sK4)

Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, reflecting on RJ Night: "What stands out to me is everything that happened after. With RJ coming on the ice and being able to have his moment. And we were sharing that moment with him, it wasn't the other way around. Like, that's his moment and we were able to just be a part of it. He got to come on the ice and get that time, I thought was so special. And then we go into the locker room and for me, trying to find the right words to say when I presented him with that sword, it was, 'How do you sum up a man that has meant to much to the entire hockey world, this community, this organization?' It's tough to find those words, but I just wanted it to be about him and I just wanted to let him enjoy that time and enjoy knowing that he has had such a big impact in the framework of our entire organization. And his banner will be up there forever."

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