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

[edit] 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. Where, while making his NHL debut, he scored his first goal, during his first shift on the ice, with his firstever shot on net! To note, he also scored a goal during his last shift, of his last game, in the NHL. Ray became a regular on the team beginning in the 1990–91 NHL season. In a game against the Quebec Nordiques in 1992, Ray punched a Nordiques fan, who had snuck onto the ice, several times. 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. To date he is a regular with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni team and resides in the Buffalo area, active with numerous community charities. Rob and his wife have a daughter, and on Tuesday January 6th, 2009, they had a baby boy named Robert Ray Jr., expanding their family.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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".

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] External links

• Rob Ray's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• hockeyfights.com - Rob Ray