OBSERVER Photo by Jared Hill Former Buffalo Sabre Rob Ray is pictured, surrounded by Wal-Mart employees and representatives of Women and Children’s Hospital on Monday.

A typical, mundane trip to Wal-Mart on a Monday morning was anything but yesterday, as Sabres legend Rob Ray made his annual visit to Frednia.

Yesterday, the Fredonia Wal-Mart was visited by former Buffalo Sabres’ forward Ray in recognition for the hard work in raising nearly $28,000 for the Women and Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.

“We just come down, make the presentation to the workers, tell them how much we appreciate it — and hopefully — they continue the great work to help the hospital,” Ray said. “(The hospital) is a place we’ve all used and it’s nice to have it in our backyard … and it’s going to be there for a tremendous amount of years and help a lot of people.”

Ray was the recipient of the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1999. The award exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and is given to those who have made lasting humanitarian impacts in their communities. Today, Ray still carries the torch for the Women and Children’s Hospital and shares the importance of community and involvement.

“Women and Children’s Hospital is always something that was dear to me. It’s so nice to go to the hospital and see the kids, but not only the kids it’s the parents. … It’s nice to be able to sit and talk with the parents. The parents feel their kids are in good hands. … It’s just amazing to hear the success stories people have and it makes you feel really good about what you’re doing.”

Ray went on to recall that giving back to the local area didn’t begin with him, but had been part of the Sabres’ culture since he first arrived in Buffalo.

“When I came here I got some good direction from guys that I played with here and they said, ‘Hey, you get involved with the people of this town, you give back and people accept you quick; and they accept you for who you are, not what you are.’ That’s something that I took along the way and I’ve always liked to give back.” Ray explained. “I stepped into this community back in 1988 and the second I got here, (the community) made me feel comfortable. They accepted me and this was always my way of saying, “Hey I want to give back to you because you’ve supported me over the years.’

“It was guys like Mike Foligno and Mike Ramsey saying to, ‘Go out and get involved and make sure you get yourself established that way,'” he recalled.

Ray also commended other players, former and current, for playing active roles in the community.

“Ryan Miller while he was here did an excellent job of helping out and getting involved with things.” He went on to say, “Zach Bogosian is really involved in a lot of different things. … Slowly, Jack (Eichel) is getting involved now that he’s getting comfortable, and Sam Reinhart. The kids are going to be here for long periods of time and that’s the most important thing: them establishing themselves in the community.”

He also continues to share that wisdom with the current players now and potential prospects as they come in.

“Get involved in your community. … Fans are more apt to support you when things are bad if you are out giving back. In a lot of cases, guys don’t want to do it. And then — when things turn bad — (fans) are not quite as supportive because they know you’re not that guy out doing the extra things to try and make a difference in the community. But guys that are get more of a pass sometimes and in a lot of cases it helps you. Respect what they, the fans, do for you and how they support you. You respect that, give back to them and try to help out,” he said.

Ray also talked about how sports, in a broader perspective, reaches so many peoples lives and fosters a sense of togetherness, from the individual to the entire community as a whole. It’s not just about entertainment and friendly competition.

“It’s huge. I think that sports in a community does so many things,” Ray began. “The morale of people, up or down. Their job is one thing and family is another, but sports they put on such a pedestal, that they spend so much of their hard-earned money towards it. They’re time, being supportive. … Sports in this area, financially, the jobs it brings to people. … As a player, and being someone that came in from outside, you couldn’t find a better place to play. As far as fan support, teams and the people around … it’s so nice and a comfortable area to be.”

Although the day was about the Women and Children’s Hospital, Wal-Mart, its staff and the local community, there was still time to talk a little hockey.

Ray touched on the subject of the game making a cultural shift away from fighting, something the ‘Rayzor’ was well-known for during his career with the Sabres. Fighting in the sport of hockey isn’t just nonsensical violence, but a culture of self-enforcement that helped players remain accountable for their actions. This shift away from that culture is something Ray views as a problem.

“I think it’s bad because the game was made to be policed on the ice. It was made to be controlled and ran by the players on the ice. I think this day and age, the respect for each other is not there the way it was years ago. So in turn, the dirty play — the hitting form behind, the high sticks, all that kind of stuff — has increased,” Ray explained. “There’s no fear factor on the ice because you can’t control it yourself. (Today’s players) are willing to roll the dice and maybe take a cheap shot and roll the dice thinking, ‘Okay, is the league going to suspend me? Are they or not?’ But if you played the game knowing that, if I do something stupid out here — to an individual, to a star player — I’m going to pay the price now. I’m not going to pay the price tomorrow, or be fined. … But if you know that I make a bad play or a reckless play on the ice, and someone comes over and addresses it — kick my (butt) or whatever you want to say — they’re less apt to do it.

“I played that roll. I played a role where I was having to protect my players. But also, going into a game I knew that — even though I could handle myself — that if I did something stupid, I was going to pay a price for it from somebody else. It even controlled what I did; knowing that, bang, there could be somebody coming off the boards that could be addressing this instantly. That’s not there now. The fear factor’s gone now and that’s unfortunate because you see that guys: A) Don’t have any respect for each other, and B) Not as much respect for the game itself,” he concluded.

Though Ray’s presence was in itself, something to behold. The true story is his generosity, along with everybody else who was involved in raising the funds for a just cause, and Donna Walentynowicz, a representative of the Women and Children’s Hospital, could not be more thankful.

“Rob is one of our staunchest supporters. He’s been with us in the hospital, visiting kids coming to events like this from he time he started with the Sabres,” she said. “The Bills — and especially the Sabres — have just been phenomenal.”