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.
Who Else?
The 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres team was one with big expectations. After sneaking up on the rest of the league with a miraculous playoff run that fell just short the year before, the 06-07 team won the President’s Trophy on their way to a first round victory over the New York Islanders. However, things didn’t look as easy as they should have been, and the Sabres were struggling in the second round series against the New York Rangers.
Buffalo fans were nervous after losing two games in a row to find the series tied at two games apiece heading into Game Five. After trailing for much of the game 1-0, there was one final chance to tie thanks to a faceoff in the Rangers zone with 16 seconds left. Everyone in Buffalo knew who was taking that faceoff; Chris Drury had been Mr. Clutch for the Sabres all season, and after winning the faceoff, Drury circled behind the net and snuck a seeing-eye shot past Henrik Lundqvist with just seven seconds left, igniting a delirious home crowd into a frenzy and eliciting an extended goal shriek from Rick Jeanneret where he asked the question to which everyone already knew the answer: Who else but Chris Drury?
Head after the break to hear both calls and to cast your vote!
May Day
Who Else?
Which is the better Jeanneret call?
| May Day | 147 |
| Who Else? Chris Drury | 54 |