Sabres raise banner honoring longtime broadcaster Jeanneret

By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres paid tribute to longtime broadcast Rick Jeanneret with a banner-raising ceremony in honor of his 51st and final year. The first sold-out crowd of the season chanted “RJ! RJ! RJ!” as the banner was raised to the rafters of the KeyBank Center during a ceremony before the Sabres 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators. Jeanneret became the third non-player honored with a banner, joining team founders, brothers Seymour and Northrup Knox. The 79-year-old Jeanneret has been a part of the Sabres broadcast on either radio or TV since 1971-72, the franchise’s second season. He earned the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2012.