Lindy Ruff

Lindy Cameron Ruff ( born February 17, 1960 in Warburg, Alberta ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who was active for the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. Since June 2013 he has been head coach of the Dallas Stars.

• 2.1 NHL coach statistics

• 3.1 As Head Coach

Career as a player

Lindy Ruff started his career in 1976 in the Canadian Junior Football League WCHL, today's Western Hockey League, for whom he played with the Lethbridge Broncos until 1979. In the NHL Entry Draft in 1979, he was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round at position 32.

After two defenders of the Sabres failed at the beginning of the 1979/80 season, Ruff took up a position on the defensive and was therefore unable to fight for a regular place in the team. He changed the course of his career, however, often between the positions as a striker and defender. In his first season he made it with the Sabres in second place in the NHL and the semi-finals for the Stanley Cup. Nearer he should not close the gap in his playing career at the Stanley Cup.

Because of his leadership, the Sabres named him team captain in 1986. In March 1989 he was transferred to the New York Rangers, where he but only 83 times was used in two and a half years.

1991/92 he played for the Rochester Americans in the AHL unterklassigen before he finished his career after the 1992/93 season with the San Diego Gulls in the IHL.

Lindy Ruff was known for his dedication, leadership and for his physical toughness.

NHL player statistics

Career as a coach

1993 hired Lindy Ruff at the just newly formed NHL's Florida Panthers as an assistant coach Roger Neilson from to. The Panthers had a new team for a very good start in their first season and missed the playoffs only just one point behind behind the New York Islanders. In the season 1994/95 they failed again to a point at the Final Tournament. Head coach Neilson was fired and replaced by Doug MacLean, Lindy Ruff remained assistant coach.

The coaching change has paid off in the 1995/96 season the Panthers occupied fourth place in the Eastern Conference and fought their way into the playoffs from round to round, defeated in the Stanley Cup final, however, significantly in four games against the Colorado Avalanche. In the 1996/97 season they made it to the playoffs again, but this time from left in the first round.

Lindy Ruff was after the season the offer of the Buffalo Sabres, whose captain he was as a player to become head coach and he signed on 21 June 1997 a contract with his former team. Under him, the team achieved some success in the first two years. In 1999 she came to the finals of the Eastern Conference and 2000 to the Stanley Cup final, which they lost to the Dallas Stars.

After two successful years, the Sabres reached the playoffs twice, but could not qualify three times in a row. Again only in the 2005 /06 made ​​the jump to the final round and the entry into the Eastern Conference finals. Since Ruff increased earnings of the Sabres in the regular season by 25 points compared to the previous season, he was awarded the Jack Adams Award as the best coach of the National Hockey League.

At the beginning of the 2006/07 season featured the Sabres to start record of the Toronto Maple Leafs with ten wins in a row. And also during the rest of the season, the Sabres presented at its best. In January 2007, Lindy Ruff was appointed coach of the Eastern Conference of the NHL All Star Game because his team was at the time on the first place in the East. In February 2007, Ruff generated excitement in a game against the Ottawa Senators. After star player Chris Drury had injured after a check from Ottawa's Chris Phillips and it was no penalty Ruff with Adam Mair, Andrew Peters and Patrick Kaleta, sent the series with his toughest players on the ice, the best forward line of the Senators in a mass brawl involved. Was between Ruff and Ottawa coach Bryan Murray, the general manager of the Florida Panthers, as Ruff worked there as an assistant coach, then it came to a fierce war of words. Lindy Ruff received a few days later by the NHL fined in the amount of $ 10,000. The Buffalo Sabres closed the regular season finally as the best team in the NHL and won for the first time from the President's Trophy. Main reason for the success was the balanced squad of the team, as four players scored at least 30 goals with Chris Drury, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and Daniel Brière.

6 January 2011 Ruff notched up his 500th victory as a coach in the NHL, as the Sabres won 3-0 at the San Jose Sharks.

Lindy Ruff was named after a bumpy start, the Sabres released in the shortened lockout season through February 20, 2013 his duties as Sabres ' head coach. Up to this point, none of the current coach of the NHL was so long employed by his team as Lindy Ruff. In June 2013, he assumed the post of head coach of the Dallas Stars.

NHL coach statistics

Status: February 2013

S = Wins; N = Losses; D = Draw; OTL = Overtime Loss ( defeat in extension )

Awards and achievements

As head coach

• 2006 Jack Adams Award
• 2007 NHL All Star Game ( coach of the Eastern Conference )