Rick Jeanneret, Sabres legend, calls 1st game between benches after elevator malfunction

Thus far this season, the Buffalo Sabres have seen their goon threaten Phil Kessel, two massive suspensions, a major trade and three wins in 19 games entering Tuesday night’s action.

So please, control your astonishment when we tell you that their legendary play-by-play announcer was forced to call the action between the Sabres and Los Angeles Kings benches because a First Niagara Center elevator was broken.

The venerable Rick Jeanneret broadcasted the Sabres’ game from space usually reserved for cameramen, errant pucks and Pierre McGuire.

“This all started out as a lark,” he said during the MSG broadcast. “The elevator that services the press box was broken down when I arrived at the building this afternoon, around 2:30. So I said, ‘Well OK, we’ll just do it between the benches with Rob Ray.’ At the moment that I said it, I was kidding. Well, not anymore.”

As you can see, he was also sporting a helmet and face shield courtesy of the Sabres equipment staff, adorned with ‘RJ’ on the lid. It’s not exactly the easiest place to watch a game for an announcer, especially since it was Jeanneret’s first time in that spot.

As the game went on, we discovered why the helmet was a good call (via Eye On Hockey):

Luckily, John Scott wasn’t there to immediately rearrange Nolan’s face.

No word if, the longer he worked between the benches, Jeanneret started spouting off junior hockey trivia and overpraising Sidney Crosby …