Rob Ray

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Lore & Background

Ray grew up in Stirling, Ontario, playing for the Stirling Blues before moving to the OHA's Whitby Law Men in 1984–85. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 1985 OHL Priority Selection by the Cornwall Royals. He played junior hockey with the Cornwall Royals of the OHL. The Buffalo Sabres drafted him in the 5th round, 97th overall in the 1988 NHL entry draft. He played two full seasons with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, earning a reputation as a prolific fighter with over 700 penalty minutes in 125 games. He made his NHL debut with the Sabres during the 1989–90 season. He became a regular beginning in the 1990–91 season, never finishing with fewer than 158 penalty minutes in any NHL season from that point on except his last. In a game against the Quebec Nordiques in 1992, he beat a Nordiques fan who had snuck onto the ice and approached the Sabres bench. In 1999, the NHL awarded him the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership and humanitarian contributions in the Buffalo and Western New York area. He is a regular with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni team and resides in Buffalo, New York, active with numerous community charities.

In Their Own Story

After 14 seasons as the Buffalo Sabres' main enforcer, Ray was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations in 2003. He appeared in only 11 games over two seasons with the Senators, playing another 5 with their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. Ray ended his NHL career with 3,207 career penalty minutes, ranking him 6th overall in NHL history. He scored on his first shot in his first shift in the NHL, and also on his last shot in his last shift. After retiring, Ray worked for the Buffalo Sabres as an intermission, sideline, and post game reporter. On 11 June 2012, the Buffalo Sabres announced that Ray would replace Harry Neale as the Sabres' colour commentator, working alongside Rick Jeanneret and later Dan Dunleavy. He also co-hosts a weekly television show entitled The Enforcers for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, is on the permanent roster of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team and serves as the organization's president, and has written a book titled 'Rayzor's Edge'. As of 2022, Ray is an assistant coach for the Buffalo Jr Sabres 09 team.

Reader's Guide

During fights, Ray's jersey and shoulder pads would quickly be shed due to his opponent's clutching and grabbing, making it harder for opponents to control him. Fellow Sabre Brad May often employed this technique. As a result, the NHL created a rule stating that a player who engages in fisticuffs and whose sweater is not properly tied-down, and who loses his sweater completely off his torso in that altercation, shall receive a game misconduct. Pundits nicknamed this the Rob Ray Rule. After the rule's implementation, Ray's fighting prowess continued, highlighted by rivalries with enforcers such as Tie Domi, Mick Vukota, Paul Laus, Jeff Odgers, and Dennis Vial. He appeared in a This is Sportscenter commercial where he acts as security at the station and beats up a courier after he says he can't show his ID.

Did You Know?

• He holds the Sabres record for most penalty minutes in one player's tenure with the club: 3,189.
• The NHL created a rule nicknamed the 'Rob Ray Rule' after his fighting style of shedding his jersey.
• He was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations in 2003.