Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Don't call it a comeback!
After spending parts of 15 seasons behind the Buffalo bench between 1997 and 2013, Lindy Ruff is returning to the Sabres for a second go-around as head coach.
"I am thrilled to welcome Lindy back as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres," said Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams in a team statement on Monday. "As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job. He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more.
"I want to be clear, though, that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now, and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals and am excited to get to work with him."
The 64-year-old Ruff replaces Don Granato as head coach in Buffalo, after Granato led the Sabres to a 122-125-27 record in parts of four seasons. Despite the young group of players showing a significant turnaround in development under the tutelage of Granato, the team still failed to meet expectations of making the playoffs during the 2023-24 season.
In the end, it cost Granato his job when they officially relieved him of his duties this past Tuesday.
Related
The Sabres have failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last 13 seasons, with their last appearance coming in 2011 with Ruff behind the bench. In the time since Ruff last coached in Buffalo, the Sabres have gone through the likes of Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger and Granato as head coach.
"I am thankful to Terry, the Pegula family, and Kevyn Adams for this opportunity," said Ruff on Monday in a team statement. "This is a team ready to take the next step. I am both humbled and honored to be trusted to help this team win now. It is not a job that I take lightly. It is my goal to ensure that players believe in each other, play for each other and love being a Buffalo Sabre. There is no doubt that we all need to embrace the challenge ahead of us. The work starts today and I could not be more excited."
Ruff was originally hired as the 15th head coach of the Sabres in the summer of 1997 after serving as an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers for four seasons.
In his first tenure as head coach in Buffalo, Ruff led the Sabres to an overall 571-432-78-84 record and eight appearances in the postseason. Of those eight appearances, Ruff has reached the Eastern Conference Final four times (1998, 1999, 2006, 2007) and the Stanley Cup Final once in 1999, where the Sabres fell to the Dallas Stars in six games.
Ruff was also named the Jack Adams Award winner during the 2005-06 season when he helped coach Buffalo to a 110-point finish in the standings and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
He then followed that season with a runner-up finish for the Jack Adams Award in 2006-07 after coaching the Sabres to a Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team in the regular season. Buffalo ended up coming up short, once again, in the playoffs to the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Final.
After being relieved of his coaching duties in Buffalo during the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, Ruff went on to also serve as head coach with the Stars from 2013-17, and most recently the New Jersey Devils from 2020-24. He was fired back on March 4 after leading New Jersey to a 30-27-4 start to the season.
Ruff also finished as a Jack Adams Award runner-up with the Devils in the 2022-23 season, and a finalist for the honor in the 2015-16 season with Dallas.
Overall, Ruff has coached 1,774 NHL games, going 864-679-78-153 with three different teams. His 1,774 games coached is fourth all-time in NHL history, while his 864 wins ranks him fifth.
Ruff was selected to coach in the NHL All-Star Game three times in his career in 1999, 2007, and 2016.
At the international level, Ruff has also had success coaching for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship (2009 and 2013), winning a silver medal in 2009. He was also an assistant coach twice for Canada in the Winter Olympics, where he won gold both times in 2010 and 2014.
On top of coaching the Sabres, Ruff spent parts of 10 seasons with the Sabres as a player, scoring 102 goals and registering 183 assists for 285 points in 608 games. He also served as team captain in Buffalo from 1986-89 until he was traded to the New York Rangers ahead of the 1989 NHL Trade Deadline.
Shortly after the firing of Granato last week, Adams said he intended to move quickly on the hiring of the next head coach in Buffalo. He added a coach with NHL experience was paramount with the hiring process.
Adams also has some past history with Ruff in Buffalo, as he served as a development coach and an assistant coach on Ruff's staff between 2009 and 2013.
As for Sabres winger Alex Tuch, he lit up when asked about the idea of playing for Ruff as a possible candidate to be the next head coach in Buffalo.
"I think I’ve watched Lindy coach as many games as I’ve played," joked Tuch during his end-of-season meeting with the media. "He was my favorite coach growing up. That was the team I watched, and sat on the couch and watched with my dad. To see what he was able to do with those teams was really cool.
"I actually got a chance to meet him for the first time this year, and Lindy’s a great coach. I’ve always been a huge fan of his, and that would be pretty cool."
The Sabres have announced a 1 p.m. ET press conference on Tuesday at KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo to officially announce the hiring.