Lindy Ruff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lindy Ruff
Ruff at the 2006 NHL awards
Born	(1960-02-17) February 17, 1960 (age 65) Warburg, Alberta, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Defence/left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Buffalo Sabres New York Rangers
Current NHL coach	Buffalo Sabres
Coached for	Dallas Stars New Jersey Devils
NHL Draft	32nd overall, 1979 Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	1979–1993
Coaching career	1993–present

Lindy Cameron Ruff (born February 17, 1960) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ruff was the head coach of the Sabres from 1997 to 2013. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2006, which is given to the best coach in the NHL. He has also coached the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. As a player, Ruff played in the NHL for the Sabres and New York Rangers. He was even the captain of the Buffalo Sabres.

Internationally, Ruff helped coach the Canadian national team. He was an assistant coach at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Canada won gold medals at both events.

Playing Career: Toughness on Ice

Ruff was picked by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 1979 NHL entry draft. He was the 32nd player chosen overall. He played for both the Sabres and the New York Rangers.

Ruff was known as a tough and hardworking player. He always showed great character on the ice. One famous example happened in a playoff game on May 10, 1980. He was playing against the New York Islanders. Their goalie, Billy Smith, hit Ruff with his stick. Ruff quickly got up, skated back, and tackled the goalie!

Ruff played most of his NHL career with the Sabres. He was the team captain for almost three years. In 1989, he was traded to the Rangers for a draft pick. The Sabres used that pick to choose Richard Šmehlík, who later played for Ruff when he became a coach.

Ruff played in 691 NHL games. He scored 105 goals and made 195 assists, totaling 300 points. He also spent 1,264 minutes in the penalty box. In 52 playoff games, he had 11 goals and 13 assists. He also had 193 penalty minutes in the playoffs.

Coaching Career: From Assistant to Head Coach

Starting as an Assistant Coach

Ruff began his coaching career as an assistant for the Florida Panthers. He worked there from the 1993–94 season to the 1996–97 season. His biggest success as an assistant was in the 1995–96 season. The Panthers reached the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, but they lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

First Time Coaching the Buffalo Sabres

On July 21, 1997, Ruff became the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. He was one of many former Sabres players to become their head coach. He had immediate success in Buffalo. In his first season, the 1997–98, the Sabres made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In his second season, the Sabres reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Dallas Stars in six games. The Stars won with a controversial goal in triple overtime. In the next two seasons, Ruff's Sabres lost in the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

The Sabres missed the playoffs for three seasons before the 2004–05 NHL lockout. This was a tough time for the team due to money problems. After the lockout, Ruff led the Sabres to two more Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and the Ottawa Senators in 2007. Ruff was the longest-serving coach in the NHL at that time. He received a new contract for three years, with an option for a fourth.

Ruff was known for being very direct with the media. For example, in the 2005–06 season, Toronto Maple Leafs player Darcy Tucker made a bad hit on Sabres player Jochen Hecht. Hecht was injured and missed two weeks. Ruff was very angry in his post-game interview. He said he wanted Tucker suspended and called the hit "an absolute joke."

On April 5, 2006, Ruff won his 300th game as an NHL coach. He was only the 16th coach to win 300 games with just one team. In the 2006–07, Ruff led the Sabres to their best regular season ever. They had 53 wins, 22 losses, and 7 overtime losses, earning 113 points.

Ruff won the Jack Adams Award in 2005–06 as the NHL's coach of the year. He won by just one vote! He was nominated again in 2006–07 but came in second place.

In February 2007, Ruff was fined $10,000 by the NHL. This happened after a big fight with the Ottawa Senators. The NHL said Ruff caused the fight. A Senators player hit Sabres co-captain Chris Drury without a penalty. Ruff then sent out his team's "enforcers" (tough players). A huge brawl started, with players fighting all over the ice. Even the goalies got involved! Ruff himself had a long shouting match with the Senators' coach. Sabres fans tried to raise money to pay Ruff's fine. But Ruff refused and had the money donated to charity instead.

On October 15, 2008, Ruff won his 400th NHL game. He was only the 7th coach to win 400 games with one team. Ruff also helped coach the Canadian team that won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

On January 6, 2011, Ruff won his 500th NHL game. He was only the 2nd coach to win 500 games while coaching just one team. Two days later, on January 8, 2011, he became the winningest coach to have only coached for one team in NHL history. He passed Toe Blake with his 501st win.

On February 20, 2013, the Sabres decided to let Ruff go as coach. This ended his long time with the team. He had been the longest-serving active coach with one team in the NHL.

Coaching the Dallas Stars

On June 20, 2013, the Dallas Stars announced they were hiring Ruff as their new head coach. In 2014, Ruff led the Stars to their first playoff appearance since 2008. They lost in the first round. Ruff also coached the Central Division team in the 2015–16 All-Star Game. On April 9, 2017, the Stars announced that Ruff would not return as their coach.

Assistant Coach for the New York Rangers

On July 10, 2017, Ruff was named an assistant coach for the New York Rangers.

Coaching the New Jersey Devils

On July 9, 2020, Ruff became the head coach of the New Jersey Devils. On January 28, 2021, Ruff coached his 1,500th NHL game. The Devils were trying to rebuild their team when Ruff arrived. They hoped to become a playoff team again soon. However, the team struggled in his first two seasons.

Heading into the 2022–23 season, some people wondered if Ruff would keep his job. The Devils lost their first two games of the season. Fans at the arena even started chanting "Fire Lindy!" But then, the team's luck changed very quickly. By the end of October, they started a long winning streak. They even reached first place in their division.

On November 12, after a 4–2 win, the team had won nine games in a row. The audience started chanting "Sorry Lindy!" Ruff later said, "I accept the apology." The team's winning streak grew to 13 games, matching a team record! On November 26, 2022, Ruff won his 800th NHL game. He became only the fifth NHL coach to reach this milestone. The Devils finished the season strong. Ruff was again nominated for the Jack Adams Award. In May 2023, the Devils announced Ruff would stay as head coach.

On October 11, 2023, the Devils signed Ruff to a new contract. On December 16, Ruff earned his 850th NHL regular season win. This moved him to fourth place in all-time NHL regular season wins. However, on March 4, 2024, the Devils fired Ruff.

Return to Buffalo

On April 22, 2024, Lindy Ruff was hired again as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

Personal Life: Family and Hockey

Lindy Ruff has three brothers. His younger brother, Brent Ruff, was a hockey player. Sadly, Brent was one of four teammates who died in a bus crash in 1986.

Another younger brother, Marty Ruff, was a first-round draft pick in hockey. However, he never played in an NHL game. His older brother, Randy Ruff, also played and coached in junior hockey.

Lindy Ruff is married to Gaye. They have four children: Brett, Eryn, and twins Madeline and Brian. The Ruff family lives in Clarence, New York.

Images for kids

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  Lindy Ruff at the 2006 NHL awards