Sabres broadcaster Rob Ray holding a gift from the Panthers. Photo Credit: MSG Networks
By Reice Shipley on

Last weekend, Sabres analyst Rob Ray showed off the toughness that he was known for over the course of his 16-year NHL career, taking a puck to the face on the call of a game against the New York Rangers. In Ray’s return to the ice on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes had a pretty hilarious gift to help ease Ray’s nerves of potentially being hit by another puck.

Ray was miraculously able to continue on throughout the Sabres-Rangers broadcast after being hit by the errant puck despite leaving the game with a pretty nasty welt on his forehead that was quite noticeable.

Understandably, Ray opted to call the Sabres’ next game after the incident on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks from the 300-level seating in fear of potentially being hit again from his typical position in between benches at ice level.

On Thursday’s Hurricanes-Sabres broadcast, Ray returned to ice level for the first time since the incident. But this time around, he was gifted a whole roll of bubble wrap with a letter written on it that said “To Rayzor, stay safe.”

The gift is obviously a bit facetious, as Ray didn’t wrap himself in bubble wrap at any point during the game. But he did appreciate the meaning behind the gift.

“The Carolina Hurricanes have hooked me up here with a little bubble wrap,” said Ray. “Telling me to stay safe. Love the Canes and hoping nothing happens there. I may have to wrap myself up here before this game is over.”

Luckily, Ray was able to avoid taking any kind of further damage from any pucks in Thursday’s game. So maybe the bubble wrap could be a good luck charm for Ray moving forward as he continues to broadcast from ice level.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley