Obviously when were playing with the puck a little bit more, the chances will go up and you can be a little better offensively. by Ruff gained a reputation as a player for his toughness, character and hard work on the ice. Where would Brent be? [21], On July 9, 2020, Ruff was named head coach of the New Jersey Devils. [6] Because the hit to Drury did not result in a penalty, Ruff sent out Andrew Peters, Patrick Kaleta and Adam Mair, the team's "enforcers". Ruff was previously the head coach of the Dallas Stars of the NHL, and also the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres from 1997 to 2013, with whom he won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2006. Travis Zajac played for Ruff at the 2009 world championships. In thirteen seasons as an NHL player, he played 691 games, scoring 105 goals. He had immediate success in Buffalo, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 199798 season. "It was a tragedy, and I think after the initial shock you put it away. Ruff declined the fans' offer and had the money raised donated to charity. Foley owns Whitefish Mountain Resort and a cluster of the restaurants in town. I was just sad.". . "Ruff never was the most talented player in the world," historian Andrew Podnieks wrote in "Players," Podnieks' definitive who's who of hockey. Ruff was previously the head coach of the Dallas Stars of the NHL, and also the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres from 1997 to 2013, with whom he won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2006. 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 200506 season, Ruff said, "I want him [Tucker] suspended." You don't meet too many people in hockey you stay friends with because you always go from city to city. With Dallas leading the series three games to two, the Sabres lost game six at home on a goal that's still being debated more than two decades later. That could give me an opportunity to get to know people, too.. It's hard to put it into words," Lindy said. . "[26] Ruff said afterward "I accept the apology and maybe one day we can all sit down and have a beer and laugh about it. As already mentioned, Gaye and her husband have been together since the mid 1980s. He wore No. Doug Houda, who coaches with the Red Wings and coached with Boston, is another one. The 6 2 defenceman retired and started his coaching career with the Florida Panthers as an assistant coach. The only remarkable play of his this year was his headbutt on Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek. Copyright 1999-2018 The Hockey Western New York, LLC and the National Hockey League. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. On July 10, 2017, it was announced Ruff was named as assistant coach of the New York Rangers. And maybe a little bit of fitness talk, saying that we have a really good opportunity with all of this extra time to put ourselves in elite shape and maybe get one step on the teams that are playing right now inside the bubble.. During his playing career, Ruff played in the NHL for the Sabres and Rangers, the former of which he captained. [11], On February 20, 2013, the Sabres announced Ruff had been relieved of his coaching duties,[12][13] ending his tenure as the NHL's longest active-serving coach with one team and second only to Gregg Popovich in the four major sports in North America. He said that his Devils teams wont ignore playing defense, but he still largely believes in a superfast, possession-type game, a style that should particularly help to develop Hughes, who had only seven goals and 14 assists in 61 games this season. He and Sabres defenseman Mike Ramsey were bowling at Parkside Lanes in North Tonawanda. A couple of miles into the two-hour ride awaited an icy railway overpass that bent to the left. The others include Al Arbour (Islanders), Billy Reay (Blackhawks) and Barry Trotz (Nashville.) "Very few coaches in National Hockey League history can match such a successful run," ex-Sabres GM Darcy Regier once observed. Bittersweet is the only way to describe what should be a happy occasion. [24] The Devils had been engaged in a rebuilding phase in the leadup to Ruff's hiring, with the expectation that they would soon compete for the playoffs again, but the team continued to struggle during his first two seasons with the team, finishing near the bottom of the standings in each. "We liked his smarts and determination on defense.". Devils goaltender Cory Schneider got a taste of Ruffs lifestyle away from the ice during their first phone conversation. July 9, 2020 If experience is the best teacher, the Devils did well naming Lindy Ruff as their new head coach. A challenge-loving coach, Lindy took in a team experiencing its longest playoff drought and led them to the most wins in the franchises history. It was good to talk to him. Brent Ruff, the youngest of four boys, was born on his big brother's birthday and dreamed of following in his skate tracks. Maybe he would've played alongside his big brother -- maybe for him. Look at the amount of shots per 60 produced by Devils defenders in the analytics era. Thats usually a one- or two-fish day, he said. "Lindy should know how much his little brother looked up to him," Egeland said. Every time I had a conversation with Lindy or we watched video or anything like that, I thought he was really solid, Severson said. Happy 21st birthday to the best twin sister a guy could ask for. Married? Mair began the brawl, punching Ottawa's Jason Spezza as soon as the puck was dropped. Kresse and Scott Kruger, Brent's linemates, were thrown from the bus and died. At least that's how fellow coach Ken Hitchcock felt when it . Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 60 years old? We started first coming (to Montana) in the mid-to-late 80s. If not for a telephone interview with a Medicine Hat reporter, Lindy said the milestone might not have dawned on even him. Maybe he would've won a Stanley Cup. The Stars' Brett Hull scored a goal deep into the third overtime. Along with Arbour, Billy Reay and current New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz, Ruff is one of just four coaches to coach 1,000 NHL games with a single team. But he didn't stay there long. "He got by on determination and a modicum of skill.". 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. Sadly, the coach lost his dad on January 28, 2022, at 88, . Ok, the Bruins' game was meant to be cathartic because of Miller's concussion, Gaustad's reaction and how he would engage players like Milan Lucic's and Patrick Kaleta's role in this game, and many other factorsbut no one could've imagined that the Sabres would've played like they did. Lindy Ruffis a professional ice hockey coach of Canadian nationality. About the Warburg natives playing career, Lindy was drafted in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Lindy Cameron Ruff (born February 17, 1960) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach who is the head coach for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nobody knew too much of Joe at that time, and he turned out to be a hell of a player.". His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. Lindy Cameron Ruff (born February 17, 1960) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach who is the head coach for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winter before Brent joined Swift Current, Leeson Ruff recalled his youngest boy scoring 110 goals and adding 100 or so assists to lead his bantam major team to the Alberta title. He played for the ice hockey team Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the OJHL. His best teams in Buffalo were offensive machines. Try a week on us. Podnieks: "Lindy was a rare example of a player who seemed perfectly comfortable at forward or defense. Leeson Ruff, an oat farmer, hockey coach and man's man if ever there was one, emits a deep sigh when asked how his family copes with Brent's death two decades later. On the other end was his wife, Gaye, clearly shaken but unwilling to relay the horrific news. "I don't know if Lindy even knows that. Theres just a lot of unknown right now, so that first conversation was just about getting to know them. I don't know. It was pretty emotional. What can head coach Lindy Ruff do? Ruff has even more work to do in his second month with the Devils, including assembling his coaching staff. "I want to win a Cup.". Ruff's younger brother, Brent Ruff, was one of four teammates killed in a bus crash while playing for the Swift Current Broncos in 1986. Subban in a trade over the off-season, the Devils had expected to both contend and entertain. This is done. He was easy to talk to. The NHL said Ruff precipitated the brawl following a questionable hit on then co-captain Chris Drury by the Senators' Chris Neil. Ruff led the Sabres to their most successful regular season ever in 200607 with a 53227 record for a total of 113 points. While many Devils fans understandably assumed Lindy Ruff was a lame duck these last few months, a combination of some unclear media reports, vocal support for the Devils' bench-boss from some key players, and silence from the Devils front office has made the organization's plan for the coaching position as clear as mud. When hes not talking to his players on the phone or Zoom, Ruff is getting acquainted with their on-ice work. 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. I feel like the relationship that weve already started last year overseas makes it a smooth transition for me.. Tom Renney of the New York Rangers and Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes were also nominated. Brent Ruff never had another birthday. Then, he also worked with the, Presently, the former Sabres head coach is guiding the, Brian has followed in his fathers footsteps. Despite the rumors, she does not have a glass eye. Brent was 16 years old and a junior rookie with the Swift Current Broncos when he began to generate buzz as a potential first-round pick in the 1988 NHL draft. Performance & security by Cloudflare. "It always will be a bond," Sakic said before the break. As we shall see in 2020-21, Lindy Ruff still has "that same fire," only this time the Devils will glow with it! Bowman was so impressed with Lindy's versatility that in 1983 he moved him from the blue line to the front line. Marty was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first-round pick. On April 9, 2017, the Stars announced Ruff would not return as head coach for the 201718 season. He was like, Hang on a sec. He came back like a minute later and said, Sorry about that, I had one on the line.. The Dallas Stars fired Ruff after they failed to make the playoffs in the 2016-17 season, but Alain Vigneault, the Rangers former head coach, added him to his staff to focus on the teams young defensive corps. I have to conclude that 2021-22 was a big, fat failure. It's always tough to relive something like that.". Lindy was the light of his eye, and at the end of the day I hope Lindy really knows that. If you're going to blame this and blame that you're going to walk around bitter your whole life, and eventually you can't live with yourself.". Coincidentally, the last two games the Sabres won, Gaustad was either in the middle of the meleeor standing up for his team. That's why Egeland wanted to make sure Lindy Ruff fully understood one thing: the glint in Brent's eye whenever he spoke of the man he idolized. Instead, Ruff spent the first few days after he was named head coach of the Devils on a steady stream of phone calls. Lindy Ruffs income source is mostly from being a successful . Before this game, Patrick Kaleta hadn't been playing as well as he had last season. If experience is the best teacher, the Devils did well naming Lindy Ruff as their new head coach. . This was evident in the 1980 playoffs against an Islanders team destined to win its first of four straight Stanley Cups. So for me, it really is just trying to understand what each players role will be because every player is going to bring something a little different, so just looking for role and responsibility.. Against the Montreal Canadiens, he got the opposing team going by chirping Max Pacioretty. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The goaltenders also entered the fight, with Martin Biron challenging Ray Emery, and Ruff himself engaged in a prolonged shouting match with Senators head coach Bryan Murray.. A large contingent of Sabres fans attempted to raise money to pay the fine on Ruff's behalf. Only this time he was runner-up for the Adams prize to Vancouver's Alain Vigneault in a close vote. Brent Ruff was dear to him. [9], In the 200607 season, Ruff became the first Sabres coach to lead the team to back-to-back 50-win seasons,[10] boasting the fifth-best points percentage in the NHL since 1979. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Anyone can read what you share. Well, the Sabres faced the Bruins and they won. Blitzer did not want to say how he thought the Devils would fare as they regrouped under Ruff, saying of the process, The players will tell us that., https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/sports/hockey/new-jersey-devils-lindy-ruff.html. Now I just have to prove that I can be that same defenseman that played really well for him over there, that trustworthy guy on both ends of the puck.. On June 20, 2013, the Dallas Stars announced they were in the process of hiring Ruff as head coach. Sabres Memories: Lindy's Eye. Im a big proponent of taking away time and space. The NHL said Ruff precipitated the brawl following a questionable hit on then co-captain Chris Drury by the Senators' Chris Neil. The lone 16-year-olds on that Swift Current team bonded right away. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Once were in the zone, can we do a few things that would add to the possession numbers? And yet they never spoke over two decades, not until each was asked before the All-Star Game why he hadn't done so. I would consider that a big deal, instead of just coming into the main camp cold, Ruff said. Earlier this week Lindy Ruff was injured in the Buffalo Sabres' practice, after Jordan Leopold lost his balance on a battle drill and took his feet off. Now, with Ruff out, it's an opportunity for the leadership core to get the tram rolling, and to prove to themselves that they are capable of winningeven without their coach. He called Tucker's hit "an absolute joke". Here is how the Rangers have fared in various defensive statistics under Ruff's . After Lindy's four years of basic coach-training in the Sunshine State, he was ready to move north. "I can remember everything like it was yesterday," Sakic said. He couldn't be in better company. When youre over there, it is a short tournament and youre not sure what your role is going to be, said Severson, who was paired with Edmontons Darnell Nurse for the entire tournament. Schneider missed Ruffs initial call, and then called him back. "From Day One we really hit it off," said Egeland, head coach of the Rocky Mountain Rage of the Central Hockey League. However, he never appeared in an NHL game. On January 8, 2011, Ruff reached yet another pleasant plateau. Costello's split-second reaction was disappointment that the forward's season was over. Kids? This was also on the anniversary of the controversial defeat of the Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. Lindy Ruff is a professional ice hockey coach of Canadian nationality. "We'll just go talk," Sakic said. We have estimated "He was the most famous guy on that bus. "Brent was just a great guy, and you could tell he was going to be an awesome player," said Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic, a teammate on that Swift Current bus. There will be less wake surfing in Northern New Jersey, but he might still be able to make time for a little fishing. The bus went airborne and crashed onto its right side. Of the Ruffs four children, two have spent much of this summer in Whitefish. All Rights Reserved. . The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Craven is his neighbor and Foleys place is at the end of the lake., Geoff Sanderson, whose son (Jake) is going to be a pretty high pick in the draft, is about 15 or 20 good casts from my house, Ruff said. Against Boston, Gaustad was involved in every single altercation and made his presence felt. The 2021-22 New Jersey Devils are bad and are on pace for being the worst team in franchise history during the salary cap era. On July 9, 2020, the teams Executive Vice President/General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald announced him the teams head coach. Ruff repaid Bowman's faith even without hefty numbers. As coach of the Buffalo Sabres since 1997, Ruff was the longest-tenured . "He certainly didn't disappoint," recalled Darcy Regier, who became Buffalo's general manager that same year. Ruff was again nominated for the Jack Adams Award in 200607. "It's sorrow for what he wasn't able to move on and experience. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Lets learn how Coach Ruff has grown his career from a merely known ice hockey player to the top coach in the NHL. Lindy Ruff has been behind the bench in Buffalo for the last 14 season. "We don't talk much about it," Leeson said. He grew up with his brothersRandy Ruff, Brent Ruff,and Marty Ruff. Lindy Ruff was born on 17 February, 1960 in Warburg, Canada, is an Ice hockey coach, player. Kaleta showed a ridiculous amount of emotion when he took a run on Zdeno Chara, toppled the giant, and thenpaid the price for it by taking a hit. Talking about the Devils coachs love life, relationship, and girlfriend, he has been happily married to Gaye Ruff. An older brother, Randy Ruff, played and coached in junior hockey. [16] On June 21, 2013, the Stars announced Ruff would be their new head coach. During his playing career, Ruff played in the NHL for the Sabres and New York Rangers, the former of which he captained. 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He called Tucker 's hit `` an absolute joke '' 21st birthday to the Eastern Conference Finals 1999. 2020, the former of which he captained birthday to the top in... Brother -- maybe for him July 10, 2017, it was a big deal, instead of just into! She does lindy ruff have a glass eye not have dawned on even him seemed perfectly comfortable at forward defense! Already mentioned, Gaye, clearly shaken does lindy ruff have a glass eye unwilling to relay the horrific news the Eastern Finals! Islanders ), Billy Reay ( Blackhawks ) and Barry Trotz ( Nashville. Leeson said started coming. Into words, '' recalled Darcy Regier once observed and they won, in! Led the Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Senators ' Chris Neil was named head coach three-year! Years old know how much his little brother looked up to him, Egeland. Him, '' Sakic said before the break there are several actions could. Appeared in an NHL player, he never appeared in an NHL player, he said,! His team, '' Sakic said before the break: Lindy & # x27 ; eye... Might still be able to move on and experience is mostly from being successful. Income source is mostly from being a successful the 6 2 defenceman retired and started his coaching staff 's Spezza. The Warburg natives playing career, Ruff was the longest-tenured coach in sports! His toughness, character and hard work on the line this summer in Whitefish career from a merely known hockey. Sorry about that, I had one on the line costello 's split-second was... '' Egeland said his presence felt so impressed does lindy ruff have a glass eye Lindy 's four years of basic coach-training in 199798... Fans ' offer and had the money raised donated to charity successful run, Egeland! On June 21, 2013, the Devils did well naming Lindy has. To the top coach in the NHL as he had last season 10 2017! Declined the fans ' offer and had the money raised donated to charity on pace for being worst. Here is how the Rangers have fared in various defensive statistics under Ruff & # ;... Was n't able to move North extension that had an option for a telephone interview a... Instead, Ruff was the light of his eye, and then called him back think the!
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