Ruff served as the head coach of the Central Division squad in the 201516 All-Star Game. Peters tried to start a fight with Dany Heatley, who was reluctant to respond, at one point even hiding behind a linesman. Lindy worked the bench with head coach Roger Neilson. Defenseman Bob Wilkie's first concern was finding his shoes before climbing out. An older brother, Randy Ruff, played and coached in junior hockey. Lindy Ruff thinks about his brother every time he hears Joe Sakic's name, and that's no trifling occurrence. On February 17, 1960, the NHL head coach was born in Warburg, Alberta, to his parents, Leeston Ruff and Shirley Ruff. "Lindy was a tough aggressive kid," said Scotty Bowman, who was Sabres GM-coach for the 1979-80 season. [17], In 2014, Ruff led the Stars to their first playoff appearance since 2008, but lost in the opening round to the Anaheim Ducks in six games. The average age of the Devils roster when this season opened was 26.5 years old the ninth youngest in the league and the team counts among its stars the N.H.L.s youngest player, Jack Hughes, 19, whom it drafted No. . Good, bad, and neutral: Breaking down Devils hiring Lindy Ruff as head coach. He played for the ice hockey team Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the OJHL. We have estimated Bellissimo is old enough to remember when a young Ruff was butt-ended in the eye . He went 32nd overall. Most of what hes seen so far came from later in the season, when the Devils were having more success. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider got a taste of Ruffs lifestyle away from the ice during their first phone conversation. Just as we thought that the Sabres were going to begin a mighty playoff push by winning two last week, they went on to lose against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Against Boston, Gaustad was involved in every single altercation and made his presence felt. GM Tom Fitzgerald confirmed the news Thursday at his end-of-season media availability, saying Ruff was brought in to . "It's something that you never forget. Billy Smith highsticks Lindy Ruff in the eye Disengage 1.52K subscribers Subscribe 212 Share Save 172K views 14 years ago 5/10/80 In the decisive Game 6 of 1980 Semifinals, goaltender Billy. Ruff was the winner of the 200506 Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in the NHL. That put him one "W" ahead of Montreal's legendary Hall of Famer Toe Blake. It was good to talk to him. Stan Fischler Surveys the Hockey World, The History of Devils Coaches, From Stan Fischler, Stan Fischler Gets Thoughts from Scott Bowman, Chico Resch and Others on the Hire, Three Things on Lindy Ruff, presented by Wawa, Fitzgerald Reaches Post Playing Days Dream with GM Title, Blitzer Discusses Devils GM and Coach Hirings. They hung out together, went to school together, went to the rink together. During the decisive game 6 of the 1980 Semifinals. During the 2006-2007 season, Lindy led the Sabres to Buffalo's best regular campaign with 53 wins and 113 points (53-22-70). 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). Ruff grew up in Canada, in the tiny Northern Alberta village of Warburg; his wife, Gaye, is from Lethbridge, which is in Southern Alberta and not far from the Montana border. There will be less wake surfing in Northern New Jersey, but he might still be able to make time for a little fishing. Under Lindy's leadership, the Sabres went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. He gave the New Yorkers a couple of seasons more of three-quarter speed hockey before finishing his lengthy playing career in the minors. Thats the weirdest part.. Lindy Ruff's net worth If you find any mistakes or errors, help us to correct them, Use of this web site constitute acceptance of the Terms of Use and "Ruff fumes as Hecht expected to miss two weeks", "Sabres fans launch fundraisers to pay coach Ruff's fine", "Sabres coach, Clarence resident Lindy Ruff highlights Greater Buffalo 2010 Class", "Sabres sign Ruff to contract extension AP", "Buffalo Sabres relieve Lindy Ruff of coaching duties", "Sabres Fire Ruff; Rolston is the Interim Coach - ABC News", "Sabres fire head coach Ruff, name Rolston interim coach", "Dallas Stars hire Lindy Ruff as 22nd Head Coach in franchise history", "Head Coach Lindy Ruff, Captain Jamie Benn and Forward Tyler Seguin to Represent the Dallas Stars at the 2016 All-Star Game", "Stars announce Lindy Ruff won't return as head coach", "NHL Black Monday Roundup: L.A. Kings clean house", "Rangers Name Lindy Ruff Assistant Coach", "RELEASE: Devils Name Lindy Ruff Head Coach", "Lindy Ruff named Devils' coach, Tom Fitzgerald stays GM", "Hart makes 33 saves, Raffl breaks tie as Flyers beat Devils", "Devils have another rough season under Lindy Ruff", "Devils coach Lindy Ruff on 'Sorry Lindy' chants, his future, texting players, more", "Devils fans sing 'sorry Lindy' as New Jersey extends win streak to nine", "Devils see 3 goals waved off, 13-game winning streak end vs. Leafs", "Ruff continues to adapt, becomes fifth NHL coach to win 800 games", Head coaches of the National Hockey League, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lindy_Ruff&oldid=1141866253, Canada men's national ice hockey team coaches, Articles with dead external links from November 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Biographical information and career statistics from, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:52. Please. Ruff was an assistant coach for the Canadian national team at the 2014 Winter Olympics. In fact, the Western New Yorkers forced Dallas into a third sudden death period when Hull "scored" out of an extremely controversial scramble. Mantyka was taking his last breaths. Moreover, Lindy Ruffs daughter holds a doctorate in occupational therapy from Belmont University. 22. The face of an unconquerable teen plays his first NHL game, scores his first NHL goal, whales away in his first NHL fight. [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. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Lindy Ruffs family often spends time away from the city life and visits Whitefish lake in Montana. If I would have lost one of my children . Whitefish is a town of about 8,000, with breathtaking views of the lake and Big Mountain to the north. At least that's how fellow coach Ken Hitchcock felt when it . But the wiry frame and peach fuzz linger in thoughts of where he would be right now, at 37 years old, and guesses of what he might have done. Moreover, Lindy and Gaye are enjoying their blissful and long-standing marriage. He also needs to find a place to live in Northern New Jersey, a search thats been limited to online platforms so far. Whether or not the pace and the puck pressure and the possession is going to fit how I would like to see the team play, Ruff said. Lindy has carved a remarkable career for himself with a playing career of fourteen years and an ongoing coaching career since 1993. 02:01. The Sabres would use that pick to select Richard mehlk, who would later play for several years under Ruff. The water here is fairly refreshing. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. Guess what? Lindy Ruffs wife is from Lethbridge, so when Lindy played for the WHL team Lethbridge Broncos, he spent his vacations with Gayes family. [16] On June 21, 2013, the Stars announced Ruff would be their new head coach. Eventually they bought the house on Whitefish Lake, and it has become a gathering place for both sides of their family. NewJerseyDevils.com is the official web site of the New Jersey Devils, a member team of the National Hockey League ("NHL"). Randy, the oldest Ruff sibling, is a former ice hockey player and coach. Happy 21st birthday to the best twin sister a guy could ask for. is 6 2 and Weight 201lb (91kg; 14st 5lb). He also reached out to all of the players and had conversations similar to the one he had with Schneider. Lindy Ruff, an assistant with the Rangers this season, was hired as head coach of the Devils on Thursday, having impressed team executives with his experience and infectious personality. He played for the Sabres and New York Rangers. Brent was gleaming about that. "It's sorrow for what he wasn't able to move on and experience. Lindy Ruffis a professional ice hockey coach of Canadian nationality. "From Day One we really hit it off," said Egeland, head coach of the Rocky Mountain Rage of the Central Hockey League. The only remarkable play of his this year was his headbutt on Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek. That was the toughest," said Lindy, whose heartbreak has ranged from the relatively trivial (No Goal) to critical (his daughter Madeleine survived a brain-tumor operation last year). The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. . That's what hurts. What it did to my parents for the first while crushed me. Talking about the Devils coachs love life, relationship, and girlfriend, he has been happily married to Gaye Ruff. Lindy Ruff spent half of his life working for the Buffalo Sabres, as a player for 10 years and a coach for 16. . Privacy Policy If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. Sakic has been skating in the NHL since 1988, overlapping Lindy's career by three years. In 52 playoff games, Ruff recorded 11 goals and 13 assists while accumulating 193 penalty minutes. 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. "[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. 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." He retained that role until the Devils came knocking and welcomed Lindy to New Jersey. Then, he also worked with the, Presently, the former Sabres head coach is guiding the, Brian has followed in his fathers footsteps. "It was quiet," the Buffalo Sabres coach said of how he spent his 47th birthday, "just a conversation I had with my parents. His nomination was the second time he has been a finalist for coach of the year. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. He always brought it up. He is the present head coach of the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. 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. The opening scene of Valiant, a documentary about the incredible first season of the Vegas Golden Knights, includes sweeping views of the Montana landscape and the clubs owner, Bill Foley, surveying the scene from his helicopter. "Lindy should know how much his little brother looked up to him," Egeland said. The 202122 season had begun with some hopes based on offseason acquisitions and the maturation of young star players, but the team was plagued by injuries, using a franchise record seven different goaltenders over its 82 games. Devils Hire Tom Fitzgerald as EVP/General Manager, DEVILS NOW | A Big Day for Fitzgerald and Ruff, Full Press Conference Introducing Ruff, Fitzgerald, Who is Lindy Ruff? It can be debated until the cows come home whether the goal was legal or not; the point is nobody in command over-ruled it and the Texans had the Cup. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. We wanted to get kind of a father figure a little bit, a guy whos been around the league.. They won big. Ruff is known for being blunt with the media. Lindy was Buffalo's captain at the time, while Marty, the brother in between, was drafted 20th overall in 1981. Apart from marital bliss, they are blessed with four amazing kids. His greatest success as an assistant coach was with the 199596 Florida Panthers, who made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in a four game sweep. A few weeks later, the normally eloquent coach struggled to explain their encounter. Before this game, Patrick Kaleta hadn't been playing as well as he had last season. Lindy Ruff, the Devils new head coach, has 736 career wins over 19 seasons but he still concedes that what worked for him in the past may not apply in todays N.H.L. Lindy Ruff, the Devils' new head coach, has 736 career wins over 19 seasons but he still concedes that what worked for him in the past may not apply in today's N.H.L. We got along really good, and when it's taken away you want the time.". Travis Zajac played for Ruff at the 2009 world championships. He has a long road to get there with the New Jersey Devils, but he's just grateful to at least have the chance. Ruff was the winner of the 200506 Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in the NHL. You won't believe what happened next Tags: feature anniversary Sabres TV Sabres Memories: Lindy Ruff's. As we shall see in 2020-21, Lindy Ruff still has "that same fire," only this time the Devils will glow with it! 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. On January 6, 2011, Ruff became only the 16th coach in NHL history to win 500 games, and just the second to win 500 games while only having coached one team. A freezing rain began to fall. The Buffalo Sabres and Sabres.com are trademarks of The Hockey Western New York, LLC. Lindy vividly remembers every detail about the day Brent died. I just start to feel sad that he wasn't able to carry on.". Remembered more than Brent's skills was his charismatic personality. I feel like the relationship that weve already started last year overseas makes it a smooth transition for me.. Ruff was an assistant coach with Canada when P.K. Lindy was coach of the Eastern Conference squad. Lindy Ruff was born on 17 February, 1960 in Warburg, Canada, is an Ice hockey coach, player. "We liked his smarts and determination on defense.". "It always will be a bond," Sakic said before the break. 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. Within two wins of winning his first NHL title as well as the first Stanley Cup for Buffalo, the Sabres battled hard in Game Six at home; so hard that it appeared they just might upset the Stars. In 2014, Ruff led the Stars to their first playoff appearance since 2008, but lost in the opening round to the Anaheim Ducks in six games. Also Read: Learn More About Selen Vigil-Wilks Biography. Kresse and Scott Kruger, Brent's linemates, were thrown from the bus and died. Those three have all shown the potential to be game-breaking players but have yet to blossom into consistent producers like some of their peers around the league. Stan Fischler "He certainly didn't disappoint," recalled Darcy Regier, who became Buffalo's general manager that same year. "He was a true professional who served his community with pride every day for over 32 years," the Amherst Police Department said in a statement. Against the Montreal Canadiens, he got the opposing team going by chirping Max Pacioretty. I got to watch Lindy Ruff boss the team Tom Fitzgerald assembled to one of the worst records in Devils history since the dark days of the 1980s. Lindy even tried to make his case with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who was there to present the silver to Dallas. On July 9, 2020, the teams Executive Vice President/General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald announced him the teams head coach. 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 in 2006. Ruff became assistant coach of the Florida Panthers for the 199394 season until the 199697 season. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. On November 12, after a 42 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, the team's ninth consecutive, the audience chanted "Sorry Lindy! It's the first thing you think of," Ruff said of Sakic being a constant reminder. My negative on Tom was that he didnt win the lottery, David Blitzer, one of the teams owners, said jokingly. Click to reveal Ruff led the Sabres to their most successful regular season ever in 200607 with a 53227 record for a total of 113 points. This was also on the anniversary of the controversial defeat of the Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. [19][20], On July 10, 2017, it was announced Ruff was named as assistant coach of the New York Rangers. Credited to Brett Hull of the Stars, the goal appeared -- to many observers -- to be illegally scored but Ruff's protests went unheeded and Lindy never got as close to hockey's Promised Land after that. Thursday at his end-of-season media availability, saying Ruff was brought in to media availability saying... 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