Slightly balder, slightly greyer and now bespectacled. Lindy Ruff is back in Western New York, and not as some sort of Hockey VP as we had expected. Instead, the Buffalo Sabres announced this afternoon that the former coach was returning as the new head coach after being let go by the New Jersey Devils earlier this season.
As broken earlier by Elliotte Friedman and Adam Benigni, the coach who was in charge between 1997-2013 will now be returning to the KeyBank Center. In that time, the 64-year-old has become the 5th-winningest coach in NHL history picking up 864 career regular-season wins for the Sabres, Dallas Stars, and New Jersey Devils.
After his sole Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1999 and two straight conference Finals appearances in the mid-noughts, Ruff is still yet to lift the coveted trophy but now will try to lead the Sabres’ coterie of young stars to glory next season.
“I am thrilled to welcome Lindy back as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “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.”
“I am thankful to Terry, the Pegula family, and Kevyn Adams for this opportunity,” Ruff said. “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.”
The pair will address the media on Tuesday at 1pm.