Not sure where the tanking part comes through on Ruff's firing...
Struggling Sabres fire head coach Lindy Ruff
Ron Rolston in for fired Lindy Ruff
Feb 20, 2013
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- 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. And it came less than a week after Ruff had defiantly said he wasn't done trying to "clean up this mess."
The turnaround never came for Ruff and the Sabres (6-10-1), who are in the midst of a 4-10-1 slump after a 2-1 home loss to the
Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
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."
"I'm disappointed for myself. I'm disappointed for Lindy. And when I see the players, I'm disappointed for them, too." Regier said. "We should all be disappointed. As far as anger, we have too much work to do."
The news of Ruff's firing came as a surprise only because Sabres management, including team president Ted Black, had spent much of the past week voicing support of Ruff.
Team owner Terry Pegula was also regarded as a big fan of Ruff.
Pegula, however, was running out of options in his bid to turn the Sabres into a Stanley Cup contender, an objective he made clear upon purchasing the team two years ago. Ruff's firing comes nearly two years to the day Pegula formally took over as the Sabres owner on Feb. 22, 2011.
"The hockey world knows how I and the entire
Buffalo Sabres organization feel about Lindy Ruff not only as a coach but also as a person," Pegula said in a statement released by the team. "His qualities have made this decision very difficult. I personally want Lindy to know that he can consider me a friend always."
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.
New York Islanders.
