BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rob Ray the feared NHL enforcer gave way to Rob Ray the son, father and beloved teammate on Friday night, showing his softer side upon induction into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.
It took the mere sight of his parents sitting to his left, and a standing ovation from the thousands of Sabres fans on hand for Ray to nearly give in to his emotions before even beginning his acceptance speech. “OK, you got to stop or I’m going to cry,” said Ray, who spent 14 of his 16 NHL seasons in Buffalo, where he inspired an NHL rule change, excited crowds with his fights, accumulated 3,207 penalty minutes, and remains a fan favorite in making a near seamless shift 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 open his speech.
“It’s hard to believe I’ve been in this organization for 37 years,” he said in closing . “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 said, referring to the Sabres colors.
Now 56, Ray was selected by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 1988 draft, and played for the Sabres from 1990 to 2002, before closing his career playing parts of two seasons in Ottawa. He became the 44th person inducted into the team hall of fame on Friday night before a game against the Nashville Predators. Ray’s penalty minutes are a franch.