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marcaractac

Buffalo Fires Ruff

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Was just about to start this thread, too slow.

Honestly, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did, nothing ever seemed to change on that team with him as the coach, it'll be interesting to see who replaces him.

Edited by McAwesome

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I like Lindy, he'll get another job, no problem... he's a good coach. Certain players made his job easier some seasons - a fact he will acknowledge, I suspect.

They're very loyal in Buffalo, so I was a bit surprised to see this, but it's the way the game goes sometimes. I always enjoyed watching his reactions during games. Lindy is to dour what Babs is to death glare. :evil:

Best of luck, Mr. Ruff!

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So will Regier be the first fired GM in this shortened season or did he just buy himself another season of buyouts/trade-deadlines/drafts/waiver-wire aquisitions??

Always thought Ruff/Regier as a package deal... same old/same old... content to (maybe) contend, mired in mediocrity.

Split 'em up and maybe you've got something.

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I would have given Regier the boot over Ruff to be honest. It wasn't Ruff's coaching that led to the numerous free agents leaving Buffalo as much as it was ownerships refusal to open up the checkbook. Yes, now with Pegula at the helm they are doing that, but Regier has whiffed on all of his signings since the ownership change. Not Ruff's fault that Regier has gone after players who are coming off one good season or are well-known average players, i.e. Leino, Ehroff, Regehr, Steve Ott, John Scott, etc...

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I would have given Regier the boot over Ruff to be honest. It wasn't Ruff's coaching that led to the numerous free agents leaving Buffalo as much as it was ownerships refusal to open up the checkbook. Yes, now with Pegula at the helm they are doing that, but Regier has whiffed on all of his signings since the ownership change. Not Ruff's fault that Regier has gone after players who are coming off one good season or are well-known average players, i.e. Leino, Ehroff, Regehr, Steve Ott, John Scott, etc...

Regier made some awful choices when it came to free-agents... but a coaches job is to take those pieces and make them gel or formulate them into a cohesive unit. ...even with OUR patchwork and highly FRAGILE team Babcock has made SOMETHING of this team. Ruff was/has been lost and floundering when it comes to directing the Sabres. If you can't get Miller behind you... you've got nothing...

That said. He's bought himself another trade deadline... maybe another draft... maybe another half-season.

...otherwise, I see Brian Burke rolling in and bringing proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence to the Buffalo Sabres. (Ott and Scott will fit in nicely)

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I have come to beleive over the years, that pro coaches should never be in the same place over 10 years. After that length of time their message tends to get stale and players tune out. That may have happened in Buf. At least that is the feeling from some of the things I have read. But some of the guys complaining the loudest are some of the guys not performingie Miller. he is not the G he was 3 years ago. father timeis starting to catch up with him-still very good but not great anymore. For team like Buf the relies on the G that is not a good thing.

Might be wishfull thinking, but let's hope for a fire sale. There are a few guys there that could help us over the next 5 years.

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From Toronto Star:

...

Ruff was becoming increasingly aware that his job was on the line. Last week, he described the Sabres struggles as being “his mess,” while adding that he wasn't done trying to clean it up.

On Wednesday, he abruptly cut short his availability with reporters by hinting that changes were coming because “it isn't working the way we're going.” He didn't specify what those changes might be.

...


And yet, Darcy Regier still has his job...for now. Sad.

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Guest ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24

Their AHL Affiliate Rochester Coach now Interim

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=416441

just to highlight a few points.

Lindy Ruff is out as coach in Buffalo, meaning the slow-starting, inconsistent and sometimes lethargic Sabres have now become Ron Rolston's mess to clean up.
Rolston was promoted from the Sabres' minor-league affiliate, AHL Rochester, to finish out the season as Buffalo's interim head coach Wednesday.
The move was made hours after Ruff was fired amid growing criticism for the team's early season struggles.
It was a game in which the Sabres were booed several times for their turnover-filled and inconsistent effort.
"I think the last game was quite honestly a tipping point. And it was evident to me that we were searching for answers to too many questions," general manger Darcy Regier said. "I think we were making some strides, but in the end, for every two steps forward, it was one step back, and sometimes not that."
Ruff's dismissal ends his 16-season tenure in Buffalo, during which he became the franchise's winningest coach (571-432-162) and the NHL's longest active-serving coach with one team.
Among North America's four major pro sports, Ruff's tenure was second only behind Gregg Popovich, who's been coach of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs since 1996.
In the NHL alone, there had been 170 coaching changes since Ruff was hired on July 21, 1997.
Regier went to Ruff's home to inform the coach of the decision. He then allowed Ruff to visit with players as they boarded a bus to travel to Toronto.
Rolston is in his second season with the Rochester Americans. He was scheduled to arrive in Buffalo on Wednesday evening and then join Regier in travelling to Toronto for his first meeting with Sabres players.
Regier said he'll use the remainder of the season to determine whether Rolston deserves taking over the job on a full-time basis.
Under Ruff, the Sabres made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons and eight times overall. That included a surprising run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999, when Buffalo was eliminated by Dallas in six games.
The Sabres, however, haven't been the same since reaching the Eastern Conference finals -- losing both times -- in both 2006 and '07. Buffalo has missed the playoffs in three of the past five seasons.
Ruff's 571 wins rank second in the NHL with one team, trailing only Al Arbour, who had 740 wins with the New York Islanders.
Ruff's ties to Buffalo go back to his days as a player. Selected in the second round of the 1979 draft by the Sabres, Ruff made the team later that year. In November 1986, he replaced star Gilbert Perreault as the Sabres captain.

if you wanna read the rest click on linky.

that last part i bolded is a shame. would be good to see arbours record broken. sadly we wont. unless barry trotz stays with the preds for a long time.

Edited by ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24

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