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Ted Darling:
The Voice of the Sabres At His Finest
By Steve Cichon, staffannouncer.com

Other
staffannouncer.com
Sabres Pages



The Milt Ellis Jukebox
Hear and see the sounds and sights of Memorial Auditorium, including PA announcer Milt Ellis, Organist Norm Wullen, Tenor Joe Byron, and the Aud Horn.


Buffalo Anchorman
See Rick, Ted, and the dozens of other Buffalo Broadcasters in their 70's finest, on the page that pays tribute to Wil Ferrel's Anchorman movie.



Haseoke!
Buffalo's Finest Goalkeeper, getting down karaoke style.



Rock 'Em Sabres!
The Sabres Anthem of the 80s.



Rick Jeanneret Goal Calls
a few dozen of RJ's finest... from the 70s-00s



More Jeanneret Calls
Fights, Saves, and OT Game Winners


BUFFALO, NY (staffannouncer.com) - As the Buffalo Sabres celebrate the team's 40th Anniversary season, staffannouncer.com celebrates the voices that have brought us Sabres hockey for those four decades, over televisions connected to an antenna, TVs connected to a satellite dish, or from a transistor radio under the pillow for a late night West Coast swing in Winnipeg or with the Golden Seals.

On this page, we bring you the Voice of the Buffalo Sabres, Ted Darling, as he narrates the story of the 1975 Sabres Stanley Cup Season, featuring his own play-by-play calls and those of his broadcast partner Rick Jeanneret.

LEFT: The 1980s Sabres Broadcast Team:Rick Jeanneret, Ted Darling, Mike Robitaille, and Jim Lorentz.

(Photo from staffannouncer.com Archives)

Ted Darling's smooth voice and exciting yet still authorative call of Sabres Hockey was heard on radio and TV from the team's inception in 1970, through 1991, when illness forced him from the booth. Rick Jeanneret, who for generations of Sabres fans is the voice most associated with the excitment of Sabres Hockey, will to this day demur when called the 'Voice of the Sabres,' explaining that title belongs only to Ted Darling.

Prior to becoming the Sabres first play-by-play man in 1970, Darling was the studio host for the English-language Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts of the Montreal Canadiens games. His genuine excitement for what he was seeing on the ice, and the stunning pace with which he delivered the play-by-play certainly added to the buzz and excitement of NHL hockey as it was played in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. This was true especially in an era when a play-by-play man's description was vital: only a handful of games were televised, and the opening day capacity of the Aud before for the oranges were added was in the 10,000 range.

RIGHT: Tim Horton, perhaps now better known for coffee, was a veteran defenceman for the Buffalo Sabres when he died in February, 1974, after a traffic accident on the QEW driving back to Buffalo from Toronto, following a game with the Leafs. Horton was a mentor for many of the young defencemen on the Sabres, including Mike Robitaille and Jim Schoenfeld. The year after Horton's death, the Sabres made the Stanley Cup Finals.

(Photo from staffannouncer.com Archives)

Like only few other voices, Darling's is one that uniquely brings Buffalonians back to a different time. Just like hearing Irv, Rick or Tom... Or Van Miller... Or Danny Neaverth... there's that feeling like home when you hear Ted Darling. His voice is like the gentle whirr of the AM&A's escalator, or the taste of a Crystal Beach loganberry. If you close your eyes, it's one of those things that can actually take you back through time for a few moments...

Ted was an orginal. Ted was a good man and a good friend. Though some in the press reprehensibly said that he was forced from the broadcast booth by alcoholism, it was actually Pick's Disease, a rare form of dementia which manifests itself similarly to Alzheimers Disease, which lead Ted to leave broadcasting. He died from the disease in 1996. Those who knew him, love him. Those who listened to him, loved him. Buffalo loves him still.

Close your eyes now, for a moment, and remember Sabres hockey the way it was.....

Listen to Ted Darling!

Click to Play
1975 Sabres Part 1
Narrated by Ted Darling, this is Side One of an album put out by the Sabres and WGR Radio celebrating the Sabres 1975 season. This is a recap of the regular season.
Click to Play
1975 Sabres Part 2
Narrated by Ted, this is Side Two, and is a recap of the 1975 playoffs, including the Stanley Cup Finals vs The Flyers.

Wait! There's more!

Steve Cichon's staffannouncer.com is online to celebrate the History of Radio, TV, and Buffalo, NY.... And a combination of the three. Our purpose is to the fill the holes in the internet. There are many sites about all the above, we we here at staffannouncer.com like to think we have content you'll find nowhere else! Be sure to check out our featured pages... or use the site search feature for just about anything under the sun!
Hover your mouse over the squares below, or go to the homepage for more!
CRYSTAL BEACH:See the sites and hear the souns of Crystal Beach from the 40s through the 80s. See TV commercials, hear radio jingles, look at over 100 snapshots from the park!! WYSL Record Charts:A collection of over 50 WYSL/WPhD Record charts as handed out by the station in the 70s. The best part: Each Chart features a WYSL jock like Kevin O'Connell, Larry Norton, or John Piccillo (plus scads more) all in their 70s glory! WBEN 1973: Hear Clint Buehlman, Van Miller and the Buffalo Braves... ENTIRE DAYS worth of WBEN in 1973, recently digitally remastered from station logger tapes unheard since the day they were recorded! Buffalo Postcards: Well over 600 Buffalo Postcards, from the 1860s through the 1980s. See Downtown, The Olmsted Parks, the Zoo, Swank Delware Avenue, Buffalo Harbor, and hundreds of others The Uncle Bobby Show Page: The World's Most Complete Tribute to the late, great Uncle Bobby Ash, including the Bimbo the Birthday Clown Song! Larry Glick! Pictures and Sounds with WBZ's Overnight Maven of Yesteryear.. the Great Larry Glick! Channel Four's Santa Show: A page dedicated to Channel 4's Santa's Workshop Show... An All Time Buffalo Classic, remembered by just about anyone who grew up in the 50s, 60s, or 70s! Christmas in Buffalo 1954: Ads and epherema taken from the pages of December 1954 editions of the Courier Express and Evening News. Mr. Dressup: Remembering Canada's Greatest Kid Show Host... Ernie Irv, Rick, and Tom: A multimedia presentation on the Eyewitness News Team of Irv Weinstein, Rick Azar, and Tom Jolls. Buffalo Radio '89: Don Postles and Channel 2 cameras visted Buffalo's Top-Rated Radio morning shows back in 1989.... WBEN, WPHD, WMJQ, WGRF, WHTT. Its Midnight: The Tom Connolly Experience: Tom is WBEN Radio's overnight mystery man, famous all across the Niagara Frontier for his hourly time checks heading into CBS News... It's midnight.

The Milt Ellis Jukebox: Milt Ellis was the PA voice of the Buffalo Sabres for the teams first 28 years. On this page you'll find all sorts of classic The History of WBEN at 75!: Check out the dozens of pictures, sounds, and stories of one of Buffalo's great radio stations... With this 75th Anniversary tribute to WBEN! Buffalo Anchorman: A
Tribute to Buffalo TV in the 70s is a look at the mustache and paisley filled era of Buffalo Television known as the 70s and early 80s. If you enjoyed Wil Ferrell's hit movie ANCHORMAN, you'll love the real life look back at Buffalo TV. the 1986 KB Radio Reunion: Pictures and memories from the the 1986 KB Reunion Weekend, celebrating Danny Neaverth's 25 years at WKBW. The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid: The NBC Project Peacock Movie starring Buffalo Radio and TV personality Jim Brinson as the Evil Pat Robbins. The Legend of Haseoke! At a long gone Buffalo Radio station, Mike Schopp and producer Steve Cichon found a box of dusty old tapes in the backroom. After listening to a few, they knew they had a hit on their hands. HASEOKE... as heard on the radio... Available only here... At staffannouncer.com! Hold the Phone: The John Otto Page:The Dean of Talk Radio in Buffalo, John made nights a little less lonely for WNYers for 40 years. The Many Faces of Ed Little: Ed Little was a staple on Buffalo radio for over 60 years... From his time as a Child actor, to his live broadcasts from the Town Casino, to his 4 decades as in the news business. The Plush, Yet Not Overly Ostentatious Norm Nathan Page: After decades as one of Boston's preeminent jazz disc jockeys, Norm was re-born late in his career as the overnight talkshow host on 50,000 watt giant WBZ. He always kept the conversation light, and kept us company weekend overnights. Buffalo TV Tetris: The Classic computer game updated for Buffalo TV fans. One game and you'll be hooked! Don't be the last one on the block to conquer the Irv Weinstein Final Round! The Puckett Dance!: Kids, its the dance sensation that's sweeping the nation... An Audio tribute to one of Buffalo's Great Radio newsmen... And My Radio tag team partner... Tom Puckett!!You must have windows Media Player installed to enjoy.
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