The Buffalo Sabres have brought back former head coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff had previously been the Sabres head coach from 1997 to 2013.
As one of just four NHL head coaches to coach over 1,000 games with a single team, he’s familiar with the organization and the region. The Buffalo Sabres are looking to take the next step forward with a young core, featuring the likes of Owen Power.
Ruff had a record of 571-432 with 78 ties and 84 overtime losses in his previous stint with the team. He led the Sabres to two division titles, a Conference Championship in 1998-1999, and eight playoff appearances in his first go around with the team. He is also the all-time winningest coach in Sabres history and he won the Jack Adams Award in 2006 as the league’s top coach.
Since leaving Buffalo, Ruff has served as the head coach for the Dallas Stars, winning a division title in 2014-15. He then became the head coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2020. His overall coaching record is 864-679 with 78 ties and 153 overtime losses in 1,774 games as a head coach.
Ruff is replacing former head coach Don Granato. Granato was the Sabres’ eighth head coach since they fired Ruff in 2013.
The Hiring of Lindy Ruff is Confusing
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Lindy Ruff is coming off a rough coaching tenure with the New Jersey Devils. After being granted a multi-year extension in October of 2023, he was fired 61 games into the 2023-24 season with a disappointing 30-27-4 record. The team arguably played better after Ruff was fired and kept their playoff hopes alive for a time.
The hiring of Lindy Ruff is a bit of a baffling one at this stage. He struggled as the head coach of the Dallas Stars after being fired from Buffalo. One year, his Stars were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after winning the division. His teams only made the playoffs in one of four seasons with the New Jersey Devils.
Lindy Ruff Struggled at New Jersey
His Devils’ tenure should be concerning to Sabres fans. This was a team that loaded up and failed to make the postseason. Most notably, they got Timo Mier from the San Jose Sharks and signed him to a massive contract, only to see him underperform.
Buffalo is trying to capture lightning in a bottle for a second time with Ruff. They have a strong young team with players like Tage Thompson, Owen Power, and Rasmus Dahlin. They are also tied with the New York Jets for the longest active playoff drought for US sports franchises.
This Tactic Has Failed Other Teams
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I can understand their desperation to reclaim their glory days. Lindy Ruff is the last beacon left of an era where the Buffalo Sabres were consistently in the postseason. But the game might have passed him by.
It’s not an unusual tactic for teams to bring back former head coaches. Paul Maurice coached the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes from 1997-2004 and again from 2008-2011. Michel Therrien coached the Montreal Canadiens from 2000-2003 and again from 2012-2017.
The problem is that it’s hard to recapture the former glory. Every sport grows and evolves and Lindy Ruff has not had much success in the last 11 seasons. There were undoubtedly better coaching options available to the Sabres.
Craig Berube was a potential option for Buffalo. Unlike Ruff, Berube has won a Stanley Cup as a head coach. On top of that, his Cup win took place in 2019 which is still recent memory.
Buffalo had options other than going back down memory lane but this is the choice they’ve come to. Lindy Ruff has hopped into a time machine and returned to the place where it all started.
About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports and Total Apex Gaming. He’s a loyal fan of many teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco Giants. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti.
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