The Best of Rick Jeanneret is our summer quest to determine which of Jeanneret’s most memorable calls ranks as the greatest of all time by ranking and voting on 16 of the best.
May Day
One of the most iconic Jeanneret calls comes from an iconic moment in franchise history. The Sabres were heavy underdogs to the top seeded Bruins in the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but nevertheless managed to take a 3-0 lead into game number four. In a back and forth game that featured an Alexander Mogilny breakaway goal and the coming out party for a still-unknown Dominik Hasek, the memorable moment belonged to the big bruiser, Brad May.
The play itelf was miraculous from start to finish – after Pat LaFontaine was tripped up in the neutral zone, he somehow got the puck to May while sliding on his backside along the ice. May then somehow tipped the puck through future Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque’s skates, got goaltender Andy Moog to bite on a shot fake, and roofed the series winning goal. The resulting goal call is hockey history.
Dave Hannan/Jimmy Hoffa
In the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres found themselves facing a first round elimination down 3-2 heading into Game Six against the favored New Jersey Devils. After playing 60 minutes of scoreless hockey, the game went to overtime. And then another. And then another. And then another. It was in the fourth overtime – the seventh period – that a scramble in front of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur resulted in Dave Hannan flicking a backhanded shot into the net, and pandemonium ensued. Color analyst Jim Lorentz couldn’t contain an outburst of giddy laughter as Rick Jeanneret exclaimed “This series is going back to where Jimmy Hoffa is!” And then we won’t speak about what happened in Game Seven.
May Day
Dave Hannan/Jimmy Hoffa
Which was the better Jeanneret call?
| May Day | 95 |
| Dave Hannan/Jimmy Hoffa | 8 |