Buffalo Sabres hire Lindy Ruff as next head coach

Credit: Jun 26, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff arrives on the red carpet before the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres announced Monday that they have hired Lindy Ruff as their next head coach.

Ruff, 64, returns after serving as bench boss in Buffalo from 1997 to 2009. The Sabres were 571-432-78-84 in 1,165 games under Ruff. The veteran coach also played 10 of his 13 NHL seasons in Buffalo.

A DONE DEAL ⚔️

We have hired Lindy Ruff as our head coach!https://t.co/3OSlX1Z9lt | #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/7FuvvIJzpx

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 22, 2024

The Sabres fired Don Granato on April 16 after Buffalo missed the playoffs in each of his four seasons. They have not reached the postseason since 2011, but came within one point of a playoff spot in 2023.

Ruff is the fifth-winingest coach in NHL history, second among active coaches, with 864 wins in 1,774 games. He is also the winningest coach in Sabres history, holding franchise records in regular-season games coached (1,165), regular-season wins (571), playoff games coached (101) and playoff wins (57).

Ruff made the playoffs eight times with the Sabres, including a defeat in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final and three trips to the Eastern Conference Final in 1997-98, 2005-06 and 2006-07.

He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 2005-06.

“I am thrilled to welcome Lindy back as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said in a statement released by the team. “As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job. He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more. I want to be clear though that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now, and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals and am excited to get to work with him.”

After a stint in Dallas, which included a 2015-16 Western Conference regular-season title, Ruff spent the past four seasons with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils turned a corner during a rebuild, including reaching the second round of the playoffs last season.

Ruff and the Sabres will open the 2024-25 season against the Devils on Oct. 4 in Prague, Czechia in his first game behind the bench for Buffalo.

Ruff, along with Adams, will speak to the media Tuesday at 1 p.m.