Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - One of the pressing questions heading into the offseason for the Buffalo Sabres was answered on Wednesday, as the team welcomed back head coach Lindy Ruff with a new two-year contract extension.
While Ruff reiterated Wednesday he'd rather be preparing for the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, he is really excited with the opportunity to carry on as the head coach in Buffalo, and help lead the Sabres to a Stanley Cup.
"I'm really excited about what our group did this year," said Ruff during his end-of-season press conference. "The energy that our fans brought, the energy in the city. Where we got to in the second half of the year, the playoffs with a group that had never been before. I felt really proud of the battle in our team, and I'm humbled again for the opportunity."
There was one other person Ruff wanted to thank, in particular, when it came to wanting to be back behind the Sabres bench.
"One of the biggest decisions was talking to my assistant coach, which is my wife," Ruff said. "There's a lot of nights you go home and question whether you should still be coaching, and she's the one I would go home and talk to. And part of the decision to carry on is that my assistant coach was good with this too, and unbelievable support through all these years. Probably wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for her at the same time.
"It's something we were talking about throughout the year as we were going along, and yes, she's totally on board. She said, 'You've got the disease, you've got to continue. You've got a sickness," Ruff added with a chuckle.
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen called the decision to offer Ruff a contract extension a "no brainer."
"I think he has a real good feel on the pulse of the team, but I think he listens," Kekalainen said during his end-of-season press conference Wednesday. "He has a good relationship with the strength and conditioning staff, and there's a lot of data involved in today's world on where we're at and what we need to do to prepare for the next game. He's very open to that, to listening.
"Some coaches can be stubborn, that 'this is the way I've done it.' But he's not like that at all, and, to me, that shows a coach that still wants to get better and believes in the new technology - the science behind that. He's always willing to listen and personally, I've really enjoyed the relationship with him."
Ruff was coaching this season on the final year of his current contract.
