Rob Ray got his shining moment Friday night as he saw his number 32 go into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame. Rob Ray was never a fancy playmaker or a goal-scoring savior, but Ray was one of the most feared enforcers in NHL history.
Ray was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 1988 draft, and played for the Sabres from 1990 to 2002, before ending his career with two seasons in Ottawa. Ray became the 44th overall person inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame. Ray finished with the most penalty minutes in Sabres history and was sixth all-time.
Ray did have a bit of offense in his career with 41 goals and over 90 career points in his 900 career games. Sabres fans will remember him for his game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in game four of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals. The Sabres would win that series in five games and make their second Stanley Cup appearance in franchise history.
That same year Ray was awarded the King Clancy Award, which is given to the player who exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a humanitarian contribution to his community. Ray was more than just a hockey player, he was acknowledged as a staple of the community. After his playing career, Ray was a broadcaster for the Sabres for 22 years. Those last 12 years were spent as the color commentator of the Sabres. Ray paid tribute to Rick Jeanneret, the late NHL Hall of Fame broadcaster by saying “I miss you buddy, we all miss you.” Jeanneret passed away in August of 2023. Ray will go down as a Sabres legend and leave lasting memories in the city of Buffalo, Sabres fans will always remember the name Rob Ray.
As for the game on Friday Night, The Sabres got out to a quick 2-0 start as they had goals from Ryan McLeod and Jiri Kulich. However, from there they had to weather the storm. The Predators got two goals to end the first period, and a goal to start the second period as they took a 3-2 lead just like that with the swarming pressure they put on the Sabres. The Sabres would get a break and respond, as midway through the second period Jason Zucker would enter the offensive zone and find Alex Tuch for a beautiful give-and-go that resulted in a tip-in goal for Zucker to tie the game at three a piece.
We had back-and-forth hockey for the next 20-plus minutes as neither team could break the tie. Ukka Pekka Luukkonen made a phenomenal breakaway save on Predators forward Luke Evangelista mid-way through the period, which would in turn lead to the Sabres winning goal. With just over two minutes remaining, the Sabres came down the ice with a 3-on-2 advantage, which saw great passes from JJ Peterka and Tage Thompson to find Jiri Kulich who got his second goal of the night with 2:04 remaining. The Sabres fended off the extra attacker and held on for a 4-3 win against the Predators. Kulich was named the first star of the game with his two goals, as this is his second time receiving the honor this season. The Sabres are now 2-0 on their current homestand and will look to avoid a season sweep against the New Jersey Devils as they face off this Sunday at 1 PM from the Key Bank Center in Buffalo.