Rob Ray

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 Ray 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. Ray made his NHL debut with the Sabres during the 1989–90 season. He became a regular beginning in the 1990–91 NHL 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, Ray beat a Nordiques fan who had snuck onto the ice.

In 1999, the NHL awarded Ray 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.

Reader's Guide

During fights, Ray's jersey and shoulder pads would quickly be shed due to his opponent's clutching and grabbing, assisting him to control nearly every fight. 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 its 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 and beats up a courier. After 14 seasons with the Sabres, Ray was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations in 2003. He appeared in 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 6th overall in NHL history. Ray worked for the Sabres as an intermission, sideline, and post game reporter. On 11 June 2012, the Sabres announced Ray would replace Harry Neale as colour commentator, working alongside Rick Jeanneret and now with Dan Dunleavy. He co-hosts The Enforcers with Ruben Brown for Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

He is on the permanent roster of the Sabres Alumni Hockey Team and serves as its president. He wrote a book titled 'Rayzor's Edge'. He is married to Juliean Ray and has two children, Robert Jr. and Jordan Ray.