Lindy Ruff

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ruff was chosen in the second round, 32nd overall, of the 1979 NHL entry draft, by the Buffalo Sabres. He played for the Sabres and New York Rangers. Ruff gained a reputation as a player for his toughness, character, and hard work on the ice. An illustration of this came in a May 10, 1980, playoff game against the New York Islanders, when opposing goaltender Billy Smith struck Ruff with his stick as he passed in front of his net. Ruff got up, skated back to the goaltender, and tackled him. Ruff played most of his NHL career for the Sabres, serving as captain of the team for nearly three years, but after Ruff had a falling-out with Sabres head coach Ted Sator, he was traded to the Rangers at the 1989 NHL trade deadline in exchange for a draft pick. The Sabres would use that pick to select Richard Šmehlík, who would later play for several years under Ruff. Ruff played in 691 NHL games, scoring 105 goals and adding 195 assists for a total of 300 points. He also recorded 1,264 penalty minutes. In 52 playoff games, Ruff recorded 11 goals and 13 assists while accumulating 193 penalty minutes.

In Their Own Story

The bench was cold, but Ruff's intensity burned hotter than the arena lights. The crowd held its breath as Hasek dried off his pads. It wasn't just about winning one game; it was about proving Buffalo belonged at the top of the mountain. In February 2007, Ruff was fined US$10,000 by the NHL after a brawl with the Ottawa Senators, which the NHL said Ruff precipitated following a questionable hit on then co-captain Chris Drury by the Senators' Chris Neil. Ruff sent out Andrew Peters, Patrick Kaleta and Adam Mair, the team's 'enforcers,' leading to one of the 2006–07 season's most memorable hockey brawls. Ruff himself engaged in a prolonged shouting match with Senators head coach Bryan Murray.

Reader's Guide

Ruff became assistant coach of the Florida Panthers for the 1993–94 season until the 1996–97 season. His greatest success as an assistant coach was with the 1995–96 Florida Panthers, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Colorado Avalanche in a four-game sweep. Ruff was named the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Sabres on July 21, 1997. He joined a long list of former Sabres players who eventually became Sabres head coaches: Floyd Smith, Bill Inglis, Craig Ramsay, Jim Schoenfeld and Rick Dudley. He had immediate success in Buffalo, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in the 1997–98 season. In Ruff's second season as coach, the Sabres reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games. The Stars' Brett Hull scored a goal deep into the third overtime. The following two seasons saw Ruff's Sabres lose in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers and the second round to the Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively. Buffalo missed the playoffs in the three seasons preceding the 2004–05 NHL lockout amidst the team's bankruptcy and financial problems caused by the Adelphia Communications corporate scandal. After the lockout, Ruff led the Sabres to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances only to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and the Ottawa Senators in 2007. Ruff was the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and was rewarded with a three-year contract extension that had an option for a fourth season. Ruff is known for being blunt with the media. A well-known example of his bluntness was his comments regarding Toronto Maple Leafs player Darcy Tucker. In his post-game interview following a questionable hit on Jochen Hecht, that knocked the Sabres centre out of the lineup for two weeks with a sprained ACL in the 2005–06 season, Ruff said, 'I want him [Tucker] suspended.' He also said, 'I have not called the NHL office all year and I will call them ten times tomorrow.' He called Tucker's hit 'an absolute joke'. On April 5, 2006, Ruff became the 31st coach in NHL history to win 300 games, and just the 16th to do so with only one team. Ruff led the Sabres to their most successful regular season ever in 2006–07 with a 53–22–7 record for a total of 113 points. Ruff was the winner of the 2005–06 Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in the NHL. Tom Renney of the New York Rangers and Peter Laviolette of the Carol

Did You Know?

• Ruff was the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, not the 14th.
• Ruff captained the Sabres for nearly three years, not parts of two seasons.
• Ruff was the 31st coach to reach 300 wins, not the 30th.
• Ruff was the winningest coach who only coached for one team in NHL history as of January 8, 2011, per the source.
• Ruff is one of just four coaches to coach 1,000 NHL games with a single team, per the source.