LOOK: Buffalo Sabres raise banner honoring the retiring Rick Jeanneret

His voice has been synonymous with Buffalo Sabres hockey for decades, and it's truly the end of an era. 

Legendary broadcaster Rick Jeanneret is calling it a career after 51 years with the Sabres, and he was honored by the team prior to tonight's game against the Nashville Predators with a special ceremony that included raising a banner with his name to the rafters of KeyBank Center. 

Jeanneret, who has been with the Sabres since their second NHL season in 1971-72 and earned the Hockey Hall of Fame Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, was clearly emotional during the ceremony, and he expressed his gratitude and love to the sold out crowd. 

“I stood down here 10 years ago upon my induction into the Sabres hall of fame, and I remember saying that night, this is the only job I ever wanted. This is the only place I wanted to be,” Jeanneret said during a 15-minute ceremony prior to the game. “I meant every word on that particular night. And boy, do I mean it now.”

“I’ll tell you how much I appreciate your beautiful noise," he said, referring to the roar of the crowds. "I only have three words: I love you.”

It was team owner Terry Pegula who credited the Sabres broadcaster with starting his fandom of the team that he'd end up purchasing in 2011. 

“You are a big part of why I have become a Buffalo Sabres fan, and I will remember that forever,” said Pegula.