Mike Harrington: The Dominator will keep Rick Jeanneret close to his heart – and next to him in the rafters

Rick Jeanneret said it many times over the last 20 years that Dominik Hasek is the greatest goalie he has ever seen. And that’s no hometown bias. If you were around during those nine magical seasons from 1992-2001, there’s no chance you’d ever argue the point.

If it wasn’t for Ted Darling, we might not have had the loquacious tones of Rick Jeanneret on the Buffalo airwaves.

The Dominator is like all of you right now. He’s saddened by the loss of the Sabres’ legendary wordsmith of the airwaves. I caught up with Hasek for a brief phone chat Saturday night as he was in town on a prescheduled trip for work with Dave and Adam’s Card World, another private event and a regular check-in with his Hasek’s Heroes charity. His grieving is like yours: Pondering all those great calls behind the microphone.

“I was on my way here and friends from Buffalo were sending me messages that RJ had passed away and it was a sad situation with all the memories I have of playing in Buffalo,” Hasek said. “He was the guy. He was traveling with us all the time. He was a very special person, so it hit me very hard.”

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Hasek tweeted Friday morning around an emoji of a broken heart, “A legendary broadcaster and an excellent human being has left us. We will never forget. Rest In Peace Rick.”

Jeanneret was obviously a great broadcaster but what has struck me during the celebrations of his career the last two years and the celebration of his life since we heard the news of his death Thursday night was how ex-players considered him truly part of the team. Trust me when I say that’s not always the case with the broadcast crew.

The golden voice of the Sabres – that one-of-a-kind, high-pitched masterpiece that we marveled at every game night – has been silenced. But it will never fade from our hearts and minds. 

“He was special and unique because he was a wonderful human being,” Hasek said. “People who were struggling with us, he made feel good because he was always so nice to everyone. I don’t remember anybody ever complained about RJ. Ever. We knew that he loved his job. The way he behaved on the plane or the hotel or after the game, he respected the players so much and we just loved him. An excellent human being.”

Hasek was returning home Sunday, so he knew he would not be able to pay his respects to Jeanneret at any service that might be held this week. When he learned the Sabres had put a memorial for fans on Alumni Plaza outside KeyBank Center, he made a visit early Saturday afternoon with Frank Henry, the Sabres’ longtime NHL security representative.

In addition to a banner listing some of Jeanneret’s catchphrases, the Sabres put out giant “RJ” letters and fans have left gifts and messages around them in tribute. And there is an audio loop playing through the plaza of 30 of Jeanneret’s most famous calls. Some Hasek saves, of course, are among them.

“It was very nice. It got me,” Hasek said. “Most of them, I remember. And I’ve heard them many times, ‘LaLaLaFontaine,’ ‘May Day’. And some other great calls. Some of them, they will be never forgotten. I believe we will not be here but May Day and what happened in 1993, it won’t be forgotten. We won’t be here but ‘May Day’ will be.”

A Sabres stuffed animal and roses rest on a memorial to Rick Jeanneret outside KeyBank Center on Friday. The legendary Sabres broadcaster died Thursday.

Joseph Cooke, Buffalo News

The cards, flowers, stuffed animals – and even a number of beers – had grown around the memorial when I visited Saturday morning, apparently missing a chance meeting with Hasek by only a couple of hours. One crack thinker even put a box of cookies atop the “R.” On the top shelf, of course.

I drove by again after the Bisons game Saturday in Sahlen Field – a pre-planned “Hockey Night” that turned into a celebration of Jeanneret – and there were about a dozen fans milling around. And in the darkness of the plaza, with most of the light provided by the French Connection statue, the sounds of Jeanneret played on and echoed through the still of the night.

“He’s somebody who has been ingrained not only with our organization, but with the city and Western New York for such a long time,” Okposo told The Buffalo News.

When Hasek was a star in the ‘90s, the turnaround time to hear Jeanneret’s calls isn’t like it is now of course. Hasek recalled often listening for replays on the radio the next day to hear how Jeanneret had described the action the night before.

“Some of them very funny,” Hasek said. “Very exciting.”

It’s been a hard few days for the Sabres alumni. Many of the ‘70s and ‘80s greats were in the Montreal area Thursday for a celebration of life for Gilbert Perreault’s wife, Carmen, who died of cancer earlier this month at age 72.

Famous play-by-play calls by longtime Buffalo Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret play on a loop in Alumni Plaza in tribute to him after his death.

Mike Harrington

The phones and texts have been burning up to players who were former broadcast partners of Jeanneret or were the subjects of some of his top calls.

Martin Biron (“He robbed him! Call a cop,” RJ said after a spectacular diving save in 2000) and host Brian Duff were emotional during a spectacular three-hour edition of “Sabres Live” Friday on MSG that was filled with former players – and had some others turned away because there weren’t any airtime slots left.

Hasek wasn’t here for Jeanneret’s banner raising last year but said he was thrilled the Sabres chose to honor him in that way.

And where is Jeanneret’s banner in the rafters? The one with the microphone logo on it hangs right next to the one listing No. 39.

“I could read about it in Europe,” Hasek said. “Even in Europe, you could see the papers talking about him. My friends who are reporters in Czech Republic, they talk about him. They knew about him. They knew how special he was with his job and how special he was to me. His banner in the rafters is next to mine and I feel great about that because he deserves to be there. I’m very glad to be next to him.”

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