Lindy Ruff Hired as Sabres HC; Previously Coached Buffalo From 1997-2013
April 22, 2024
The Buffalo Sabres have hired Lindy Ruff for a second stint as head coach, the team announced Monday.
Ruff previously coached the Sabres from 1997 to 2013.
Buffalo Sabres @BuffaloSabresA DONE DEAL ⚔️<br><br>We have hired Lindy Ruff as our head coach!<a href="https://t.co/3OSlX1Z9lt">https://t.co/3OSlX1Z9lt</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoBuffalo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoBuffalo</a> <a href="https://t.co/7FuvvIJzpx">pic.twitter.com/7FuvvIJzpx</a>
Ruff most recently coached the New Jersey Devils, where he was fired in March after leading the Devils to a 30-27-4 record during his fourth season with the team.
He boasts an 864-679-78 regular-season record as head coach, including a 571-432-78 mark in 15 seasons with the Sabres.
The Devils were unable to turn their season around after dismissing Ruff. New Jersey finished the season with a 8-12-1 record and missed the playoffs under interim head coach Travis Green.
The season prior, Ruff had coached the Devils to one of the team's best-ever regular seasons as New Jersey won 52 games for the first time in franchise history.
Ruff's March firing marks the second time in his career he has been dismissed mid-season.
During Ruff's last stint in Buffalo, the Sabres parted ways with their longtime head coach after a 6-10-1 start to the 2012-13 season.
At the time of Ruff's 2013 firing, the Sabres were frustrated with the team's lack of progress in the playoffs. After losing 4-2 to the Dallas Stars in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, the Sabres never made it back to the Final despite three trips to the third round.
Since then, the Sabres have gone through six coaches without any further playoff progress while setting an NHL record with 13 straight missed postseasons.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams stressed that the hiring of Ruff, 64, was "not made with nostalgia in mind," according to Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com.
Adams instead cited Ruff's experience coaching the Devils, one of the youngest teams in the NHL during his tenure, as a reason he might succeed in leading a Sabres rebuild.
"He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more... Lindy is the right person for the job now and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus," Adams said, per LaBarber.
Prior to his coaching career, Ruff was selected by the Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He played 608 games for Buffalo over 10 seasons.
Ruff will be re-introduced to Buffalo during a press conference scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m., LaBarber reported.