Former Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff Fired By Devils

The New Jersey Devils announced Monday that they relieved Lindy Ruff of his head coaching duties. Travis Green will take over the role in the interim. This makes Ruff the seventh coach fired in the NHL this season.

Ruff was the Buffalo Sabres bench boss from 1997 to 2013 for a franchise record 16 seasons. He then was the head coach of the team he lost to in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars, for four seasons.

After a brief stint as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, the Devils hired Ruff for the 2020-2021 season.

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Ruff has Sabres franchise records in games coached (1,165), wins (571), and playoff appearances (8). He also spent the majority of his playing career in Buffalo, serving as team captain for three of his 10 seasons with the Sabres.

The Devils went 98-98-24 before Ruff was fired, appearing in the playoffs in 2022-2023. He still resides in Buffalo during the offseason and holds the community dear to his heart.

Lindy Ruff: “Keep this quick, the Bills are playing right now.”

pic.twitter.com/2oczq8Wlda

— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) January 22, 2023

For more on Ruff’s firing, be sure to head over to New Jersey Hockey Now. James Nichols has the latest.