The Buffalo Sabres Hall Of Fame Committee announced today that Rick Jeanneret and Dale Hawerchuk will be the newest inductees into the Sabres Hall Of Fame, numbers 36 and 37 respectively.
Jeanneret needs no introduction, being the voice of the Sabres for the past 39 years, but his induction into the Sabres HoF is long overdue. RJ joins longtime partner Jim Lorentz (2010) and fellow announcer Ted Darling (1996) as members of the Hall.
Younger Sabres fans may not recognize the name of Dale Hawerchuk, who came into the league in 1982 with the Winnipeg Jets (and won the Calder trophy) but anyone who cares about Sabres history should. He was traded to Buffalo in 1990 as part of a blockbuster trade that brought Hawerchuk and Brad May to Buffalo, but saw Phil Housley, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker, and Keith Tkachuk leave for Winnipeg.
Hawerchuk played five seasons at center for Buffalo, leading the team in scoring for three of those. He was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2001 after a 16-year career that saw him collect 518 goals and 891 assists.He still holds the Sabres record for second and third most assists in a single season.
The induction ceremony will take place before the Nov. 8 game against Winnipeg, for all you commemorative puck lovers out there.