Rob Ray, the tough NHL enforcer, showed a softer side during his induction into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on Friday night, as he reflected on his journey.
The sight of his parents sitting beside him and the standing ovation from thousands of Sabres fans nearly brought Ray to tears before he even started his acceptance speech.
“OK, you got to stop or I’m going to cry,” said Ray, who played 14 of his 16 NHL seasons in Buffalo. He inspired a rule change in the NHL, entertained fans with his fights, racked up 3,207 penalty minutes, and became a beloved figure in Buffalo, transitioning smoothly into broadcasting Sabres games.
“I came to this town, I didn’t need glasses, I was in shape, I had hair, I left it all here for you guys,” Ray said to begin his speech.
“It’s hard to believe I’ve been in this organization for 37 years,” he said at the end. “And on those nights that I was coming off the ice, and there was blood coming out of your face somewhere, that wasn’t red. That was blue and gold,” he added, referring to the Sabres’ team colors.
Ray, now 56, was drafted by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 1988 draft. He played for the Sabres from 1990 to 2002, then spent parts of two seasons in Ottawa before retiring. He was inducted as the 44th member of the team’s Hall of Fame before a game against the Nashville Predators.
His penalty minutes remain a franchise record, and he ranks sixth on the NHL’s career list. In 900 career games, Ray scored 41 goals and 91 points.
Although his many fights are what most people remember, Ray had a few key offensive moments. He scored a goal on his first career shift, beating goalie Tom Barrasso with a slap shot in a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 21, 1989. He also scored three career playoff goals, including the game-winning goal in a 5-2 victory over Toronto in the 1999 Eastern Conference finals, a series Buffalo went on to win.
Ray was known for wearing tear-away jerseys during fights, giving him an advantage over his opponents, who would be left holding his jersey while Ray continued to throw punches. This led the NHL to introduce a rule stating that players who fought without their jerseys would receive game misconducts.
“He played the game with fire. He wasn’t just a tough guy, but he was the toughest,” said former teammate Brad May. “There’s no better feeling knowing Rob Ray has your back.”
Ray, who is from Stirling, Ontario, adopted Buffalo as his hometown. He is known for leading the Sabres alumni association and for his charitable work, including delivering toys to children in need each Christmas Eve.
Ray was honored on the ice with many of his former teammates, along with his wife and two children. Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula, who had been recovering from a serious cardiac arrest in June 2022, also attended the ceremony, marking her first appearance at the arena since the incident. She watched from a suite with her husband, Terry.
Ray took time to pay tribute to each of his coaches and the late NHL Hall of Fame broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, saying, “I miss you, buddy. We all do.” Jeanneret had helped Ray get his start in broadcasting after retirement.
Former rival Tie Domi, who fought Ray many times, sent a video message. “They changed the rules because of you. The streaker, the fighting streaker,” Domi said. “I’m proud of you man. Our friendship goes way beyond hockey.”
Ray expressed his regret that the NHL had phased out the enforcer role through rule changes aimed at limiting fighting in the last two decades.
“I think that sometimes what we lose in our game is it’s all about winning and losing and it’s all about stats, you forget it’s an entertainment business,” Ray said. A member of the late-90s Sabres, known as the hardest working team in hockey, he reflected, “We didn’t win a lot of games back then.
But we played hard and people respected it. They liked it. They knew that we might not win, but you know what, ‘I may see a fight tonight. I might see two.’ And that was kind of the draw that lured them.”
