The Buffalo Sabres have come to terms on a three-year extension with play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret, the club announced on Thursday. Jeanneret will call a reduced number of games over the course of the deal and will retire following the 2015-16 season.
The broadcaster was contemplating one more complete season with the team and retiring after the 2013-14 campaign. However, discussions with his family and the Sabres led to the decision announced on Thursday morning. Jeanneret will remain with the club in an honorary role after his retirement.
In addition, the club announced that Dan Dunleavy will call games that Jeanneret takes off. Dunleavy will take over responsibility of the team’s play-by-play call starting in 2016-17.
“I am excited and honored to join the Sabres organization and its tremendous broadcasting team,” Dunleavy said. “I’m honored that I get an opportunity to work with and learn from one of the best play-by-play announcers hockey has ever seen in Rick. He is the pinnacle of our profession and I’m humbled that I will be following in his legendary footsteps.”
Dunleavy previously worked on the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ broadcast team and spent 19 years at Sportsnet Radio and The Fan 590 in Toronto.