Rob Ray Next into Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame

The Buffalo Sabres announced that the 2024-2025 Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame inductee is longtime player and broadcaster Rob Ray. The announcement was made in front of the home crowd at KeyBank Center Saturday night as the Sabres and Florida Panthers faced off.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more impactful to the Sabres organization than Ray. He played 14 seasons in Buffalo, amassing 889 games donning the uniform. After his playing career Ray joined the Sabres broadcast team, a position he’s held since the 2003-2004 season. He also has been involved with the Sabres alumni and multiple charities within the Buffalo community.

Playing Career

Known as one of the greatest enforcers in NHL history, Rob Ray accumulated 3,207 penalty minutes with the Sabres and Ottawa Senators. He was never the biggest guy, at six feet tall and weighing 220 pounds. As a fighter, Ray packed a heavy punch and a fearless attitude.

One of Ray’s signature tactics in fights was to remove his jersey, and sometimes even his shoulder pads, so that opponents did not have anything to grasp onto. This gave him the upper hand in bouts and led to an eventual rule that required a jersey to be tied down at all times. The adopted rule was nicknamed the “Rob Ray” rule due to the common practice of the Sabres forward’s technique.

Sabres Broadcast

Rob Ray continues his Sabres legacy as a color commentator. He has held the post since 2012 after taking over the job solely from Harry Neale. He’s in between the benches for each home game on the broadcast.

Ray also has appeared on pregame, intermission, and postgame broadcasts for the Sabres Hockey Network, which airs on cable and radio.

Community

Ray remains a big part of the Buffalo community, which he now calls home. He’s served as the president of the Sabres Alumni Association and is one of the integral pieces in keeping the alumni in touch was the new era of the organization.

He was also an assistant coach of the Buffalo Junior Sabres. As for his charitable endeavors, Ray is involved with Roswell Park and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Ray’s induction to the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame is well-deserved and probably overdue. The induction date has yet to be announced.