Rick Jeanneret his intent to slowly phase out of the Sabres play-by-play job over the course of three years. Dan Dunleavy has already been chosen as Jeanneret's successor and will take over play-by-play duties, first as the substitute, then permanently. Jeanneret called 47 games in 2014–15 and called 41 games in 2015–16; as of 2014, he still intended on retiring in 2016 but did not entirely rule out changing his mind. Indeed, Jeanneret would sign an agreement to call another half-season of games in 2016–17. On July 1, 2014, Jeanneret was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer, which required Jeanneret to miss
Gris-gris (talisman) originates with the French "joujou" meaning doll or play-thing. It has otherwise been attributed in scholarly sources to the Mandingo word meaning "magic." The gris-gris originated in Dagomba in Ghana and was associated with Islamic traditions. Originally the gris-gris was adorned with Islamic scripture and was used to ward off evil spirits (evil djinn) or bad luck. Historians of the time noted that they were frequently worn by non-believers and believers alike, and were also found attached to buildings. The practice of using gris-gris, though originating in Africa, came to the United States with enslaved Africans and was quickly adopted