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Rob Ray
Robray
Position Right Wing
Nickname(s) Rayzor
Height
Weight
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
222 lb (101 kg)
Teams Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Nationality Flag of Canada Canadian
Born (1968-06-08)June 8, 1968,
Stirling, ON, CAN
Pro Career 1985 – 2004


Rob Ray, nicknamed Rayzor (born June 8, 1968 in Stirling, Ontario) is a retired player. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy by the National Hockey League in 1999 for leadership and humanitarianism.

Personal and early career[]

Ray played his junior hockey with the Cornwall Royals of the Ontario Hockey League (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 American Hockey League (AHL), during which he earned a reputation as a prolific fighter, notching over 700 penalty minutes in 125 games. Ray made his NHL debut with the Sabres during the 1989–90 season. Ray became a regular on the team beginning in the 1990–91 NHL season. Considered imposing at 6'0", Ray was one of the toughest NHL players through the 1990s. 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.


Rob Ray Rule[]

During fights, Ray's helmet, jersey, and pads were often easily torn off by his opponents, giving them nothing to grab on Ray's body. With nothing to hold on to, his opponents would slide backwards on their skates when they threw punches, knocking them off balance and allowing Ray to grab their jerseys and move in with a distinct advantage. This allowed Ray to control nearly every fight he was in. Fellow Sabre Brad May often employed this technique as well. As a result of this practice, the NHL created a new rule enforcing additional penalties for players who removed jerseys or pads during a fight. Pundits saw this as a direct result of Rob Ray's style of fighting, and nicknamed the rule the Rob Ray Rule. It was after the implementation of the "Rob Ray" rule that Ray's fistic prowess blossomed, highlighted by lengthy and, at times, bitter rivalries with fellow NHL enforcers such as Tie Domi, Mick Vukota, Stu Grimson, and Dennis Vial.

End of career[]

After 14 seasons as the Buffalo Sabres' main enforcer, Ray was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations in 2003. Ray 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. Ray now works for the Buffalo Sabres as an intermission, sideline, and post game reporter for games on MSG Network and co-hosts, along with former Buffalo Bills star Ruben Brown, a weekly television show entitled The Enforcers for Time Warner Cable SportsNet. He is also on the permanent roster of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team. Rob has also written a book since then titled "Rayzor's Edge".

Career statistics[]

Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM
1985–86 Cornwall Royals OHL 53 6 13 19 253
1986–87 Cornwall Royals OHL 46 17 20 37 158
1987–88 Cornwall Royals OHL 61 11 41 52 179
1988–89 Rochester Americans AHL 74 11 18 29 446
1989–90 Rochester Americans AHL 43 2 13 15 335
1989–90 Buffalo Sabres NHL 27 2 1 3 99
1990–91 Rochester Americans AHL 8 1 1 2 15
1990–91 Buffalo Sabres NHL 66 8 8 16 350
1991–92 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 5 3 8 354
1992–93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 68 3 2 5 211
1993–94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 3 4 7 274
1994–95 Buffalo Sabres NHL 47 0 3 3 173
1995–96 Buffalo Sabres NHL 71 3 6 9 287
1996–97 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 7 3 10 286
1997–98 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 2 4 6 234
1998–99 Buffalo Sabres NHL 76 0 4 4 261
1999–00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 69 1 3 4 158
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 4 6 10 210
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 71 2 3 5 200
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 41 0 0 0 92
2002–03 Ottawa Senators NHL 5 0 0 0 4
2003–04 Ottawa Senators NHL 6 1 0 1 14
2003–04 Binghamton Senators AHL 5 2 0 2 11
NHL totals 900 41 50 91 3207

External links[]

Preceded by
Kelly Chase
Winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy
1999
Succeeded by
Curtis Joseph
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