The Buffalo Sabres are looking backward to push them forward in the future.
Monday, after missing the postseason for the 13th consecutive season, the Sabres announced the re-hiring of 64-year-old head coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff replaces Don Granato who went 122-125-27 in 274 regular-season games with the Sabres. Ruff previously coached the team from 1997-98 to 2012-13.
Ruff is the fifth-winningest coach in NHL history (864 victories), but sports a career winning percentage of .487.
“I am thankful to Terry, the Pegula family, and Kevyn Adams for this opportunity,” Ruff said in a 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 is the winningest head coach in Sabres history (571 wins), leading them to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999. The Sabres also reached the Eastern Conference Final in 1998, 2006, and 2007 and won their only Presidents’ Trophy (2007) under Ruff.
Ruff holds the franchise records in regular-season games coached (1,165), regular-season wins (571), playoff games coached (101), and playoff wins (57). As a player, he also captained the Sabres from 1986 through 1989, suiting up in 608 games for the franchise.
Ruff was fired in early March by the New Jersey Devils as the young team — primed to take the next step — faltered and missed the playoffs. The Devils reached the second round of the postseason the year before and finished second in the Metropolitan Division with 112 standings points — only one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes. Ruff was replaced behind the bench on an interim basis by Travis Green, who is still in the mix for the full time job.
“I am thrilled to welcome Lindy back as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres,” Sabres GM 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.”
The Sabres were led in scoring by Alex Tuch (22g, 37a) and Rasmus Dahlin (20g, 39a) with 59 points each. Young star Tage Thompson led the team with 29 goals while JJ Peterka had a breakout year with 28. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the team’s starting net minder, finishing with a record of 27-22-4 along with a .910 save percentage and 2.57 goals against average.
The Sabres finished seven points behind the Capitals for the final playoff spot in the East and sported a 39-37-6 record.
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