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, 21 February 2013 - 04:13 PM.
