TSN: Ruff here to stay!

[MasterofGrond]

You can always fire him. Not like Harris is hurting for cash.

He's not my platonic ideal of a coach, but he just coached the team to the most success it's had in a decade. Hard to be too critical.

 

[HBK27]

If Ruff didn't get an extension before the season started, it absolutely would've been a distraction...no matter how minor. This had to happen and absolute worst case scenario, if the shit really hits the fan and they have to can him at any point, the only downside to an extension right now is that our insanely rich owners would have to pay out the balance. That's it.

I don't think this extension buys Ruff any additional time. We're in a contention window now, so the coach is always going to be evaluated at the end of the season (and in-season if things really go sour) - and it's not like we're a franchise that has to watch costs and would keep a coach on because of financial reasons. Our owners have deep pockets. Even during the Lou and Vanderbeek years, we were right at the top of the league in firing coaches.

If you're actually upset with this news, I'd love to understand why and hear how you would've handled things differently with Ruff's contract situation?

All that being said, I think Ruff is absolutely the right coach for this team at this time and I 100% believe they can win a Cup with him as the head coach. Odds are still stacked against him as it's damn tough to win a Cup in a 32 team league, but as I've said before if he does manage to pull it off it would be the ultimate OGWAC story. Not sure if there's one better candidate out there given how long Ruff has been in the league as a player/assistant coach/head coach.

Also doesn't hurt that the players seem to love him and he's by all accounts a great guy overall.

I think some people just have had it in their heads these past 3 years that Ruff would always just be the guy to start to turn it around with this team and eventually someone else would be brought in to get them over the edge. I certainly thought that originally, but given how much progress this team and most of the key players have made, I think Ruff is the right coach to lead this team to a Cup.

 

[JrFischer54]

Guy deserved the reigns for now. Expectations are sky high going forward and I’m hopeful he can keep the wheels turning.

ruff resume is so overdue for a cup hes going to be burns 2.0

devils cup
phillies series
oklahoma football
niners football

parlay that shit! $25 pays $109,687

 

[Xirik]

there going to be a "congratulations Lindy" chant?

 

[britdevil]

Not sold on Lindy. Then again, I've not really had much good to say about any of the coaching since DeBoer left and even he had big fat warts.

I'm sceptical he sees out this contract and letting Bruno go was... unwise to me.

 

[Edmonton East]

I feel like we're going to be back to the Fire Lindy chants when the team captains don't have the answers and the players hit a wall. He's a players coach which is great for youth up to a point but at some point they will need hard instruction and not a friend and that will be the next big step that Lindy can't make from what I've seen.

Sometimes you need Dad kicking your butt and not grandpa just buying you ice cream and saying it will be fine.

Couldn't agree more and have pretty much said the same previously. Ruff is your typical "right the ship" coach, but can't get you over the hump. Hopefully it's only an additional 2 years. I've rambled about Ruff's track record and system issues (especially when it comes to playoff hockey) for long enough now. Just gonna hope for the best and that management is smart enough to pull the ripcord early if the team doesn't hit potential.

For example, if the team is relatively healthy, has a good regular season, but gets easily ousted in the playoffs in the 1st or 2nd round.....that isn't good enough. They can't have another Carolina series where it looks like they don't even belong. There are expectations now. It's different.

 

[Goptor]

I don't think the team can afford to lose Ruff anymore. He runs a unique system and Fitz has brought in guys that have skill sets to perform well in it.

Siegenthaler and Marino specifically will regress if they have to play to their weaknesses.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I do find it ironic that people think Lindy isn’t the long term answer when he’s ‘only’ 63, he could easily coach another 5-10 years if his results were good enough. So it’s just a matter of preference, yet every time another vet coach also gets brought up it’s dismissed as a retread pick other than Boudreau who tbh has a similar record to Lindy anyway aside from Lindy’s first two years here. Basically people think only a young untested coach will do but that could literally go either way as we found out with guys like Ftorek, MacLean and Hynes

It has nothing to do with his age.

 

[Bleedred]

Not sold on Lindy. Then again, I've not really had much good to say about any of the coaching since DeBoer left and even he had big fat warts.

I'm sceptical he sees out this contract and letting Bruno go was... unwise to me.

I’m hoping letting Bruno go might have been for the best just because if preseason is any indication, as well as the new power play units (that may be no indication, mind you) maybe it took a new new guy (Travis Green) coming in to get it going.

That said, I’m not at all sold on Green as a head coach at this level, which is likely what happens when Lindy goes, unless he’s hired by someone else to be a head coach before that, the way Brunette just was this past offseason.

Watch us have the best power play we’ve had since Slava Fetisov coached it, only to lose Green next offseason when someone wants to hire him as head coach.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

He earned it.


I care more about what he’s done with this team. And the results have been very good.

Yes, the results have been very good, because we have a very damn good team. The team has been winning in spite of Ruff, nothing will convince me otherwise (for now).

 

[Camille the Eel]

100%. It's one thing for the players to just say it and back their coach, but the on-ice results of the team reflect that growth as well.

When Lindy was hired I think the consensus was hoping he'd be good with the young guys and develop them. He's done that and I think he's earned the chance to try and push them further now.

Plus consider the alternatives - the Babcocks, Torts and other species of egomaniac or dinosaur coaches out there. Lindy lets our guys play to their potential and doesn’t throw up roadblocks, the atmosphere around the team and the dressing room is positive and supportive, the kids seem to enjoy playing hockey here. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it seems to apply here.

I’ll also say he was great at pushing buttons and making adjustments behind the bench and tweaking lines during games last year. It’s one place head coaches make the biggest difference.

 

[JrFischer54]

Yes, the results have been very good, because we have a very damn good team. The team has been winning in spite of Ruff, nothing will convince me otherwise (for now).

yeah i mean why let a little thing like results get in the way of decisions right?

so if we have a very bad team and they play bad should a coach be fired?

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Plus consider the alternatives - the Babcocks, Torts and other species of egomaniac or dinosaur coaches out there. Lindy lets our guys play to their potential and doesn’t throw up roadblocks, the atmosphere around the team and the dressing room is positive and supportive, the kids seem to enjoy playing hockey here. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it seems to apply here.

I’ll also say he was great at pushing buttons and making adjustments behind the bench and tweaking lines during games last year. It’s one place head coaches make the biggest difference.

There is a lot to be said for this. I'm fine with Lindy. We don't want to end up like Columbus...

 

[FinnishDevil]

I dont think he's a super great coach, but he's done well here all things considered, is well liked and until there is someone out there who is clearly better like "Sullivan, Cooper" caliber I think Lindy is the best coach for this roster.

 

[HBK27]

Not sold on Lindy. Then again, I've not really had much good to say about any of the coaching since DeBoer left and even he had big fat warts.

I'm sceptical he sees out this contract and letting Bruno go was... unwise to me.

The only way Brunette would've stayed and turned down a head coaching job was if the Devils fired Ruff after coming in 2nd in the Jack Adams voting and leading the franchise to an all-time points record. No team blocks an assistant coach from taking a head coaching role elsewhere. Are you really telling me if you were GM of the Devils that you would've fired Ruff and made Brunette the HC this past offseason?

Yes, the results have been very good, because we have a very damn good team. The team has been winning in spite of Ruff, nothing will convince me otherwise (for now).

That's a bold claim for a team with a 40+ year history (with lots of success in there) that just set a single season points record under Ruff.

Imagine how the could've been if they had a coach that could actually help them win - would've certainly surpassed the Bruins last season.

 

[JrFischer54]

The only way Brunette would've stayed and turned down a head coaching job was if the Devils fired Ruff after coming in 2nd in the Jack Adams voting and leading the franchise to an all-time points record. No team blocks an assistant coach from taking a head coaching role elsewhere. Are you really telling me if you were GM of the Devils that you would've fired Ruff and made Brunette the HC this past offseason?




That's a bold claim for a team with a 40+ year history (with lots of success in there) that just set a single season points record under Ruff.

Imagine how the could've been if they had a coach that could actually help them win - would've certainly surpassed the Bruins last season.

there were posters on here speculating that he would've been let go around the award show i remember lol.

 

[britdevil]

The only way Brunette would've stayed and turned down a head coaching job was if the Devils fired Ruff after coming in 2nd in the Jack Adams voting and leading the franchise to an all-time points record. No team blocks an assistant coach from taking a head coaching role elsewhere. Are you really telling me if you were GM of the Devils that you would've fired Ruff and made Brunette the HC this past offseason?




That's a bold claim for a team with a 40+ year history (with lots of success in there) that just set a single season points record under Ruff.

Imagine how the could've been if they had a coach that could actually help them win - would've certainly surpassed the Bruins last season.

Oh absolutely and the Devil's quite rightly let Brunette go for an opportunity.

He might have stayed with assurances, but I don't think they ever really wanted him as next head coach.

It's just my personal opinion that I would have offered him the role, if Ruff was open to moving upstairs if you will.

Oh well, we'll never know. Like I said, I'm just sceptical that Ruff can lead this team to a cup.

More than happy to be proven wrong and good for Lindy. He's a good man.

I’m hoping letting Bruno go might have been for the best just because if preseason is any indication, as well as the new power play units (that may be no indication, mind you) maybe it took a new new guy (Travis Green) coming in to get it going.

That said, I’m not at all sold on Green as a head coach at this level, which is likely what happens when Lindy goes, unless he’s hired by someone else to be a head coach before that, the way Brunette just was this past offseason.

Watch us have the best power play we’ve had since Slava Fetisov coached it, only to lose Green next offseason when someone wants to hire him as head coach.

Canucks fans told us he's the worst coach ever, so yes, you can bank on him being aces here lmao.

 

[Satans Hockey]

He won me over with how he responded to the fire chants and booing. He knows it comes from a place of passion and not just wanting to see guys be fired.

Absolutely earned the extension and most of us still owe him a beer.

 

[MadDevil]

I'm still not sold he's the guy to take us all the way, but he's coming off a franchise best season so he's earned an extension.

 

[New Jersey]

adequate news, i am fine.

 

[Triumph]

Couldn't agree more and have pretty much said the same previously. Ruff is your typical "right the ship" coach, but can't get you over the hump. Hopefully it's only an additional 2 years. I've rambled about Ruff's track record and system issues (especially when it comes to playoff hockey) for long enough now. Just gonna hope for the best and that management is smart enough to pull the ripcord early if the team doesn't hit potential.

For example, if the team is relatively healthy, has a good regular season, but gets easily ousted in the playoffs in the 1st or 2nd round.....that isn't good enough. They can't have another Carolina series where it looks like they don't even belong. There are expectations now. It's different.

How is he a typical 'right the ship' coach? He's only ever been a head coach 3 places - he had one job for 14+ years - and he didn't even right the ship here, the team was worse in both of his first two seasons.

The Sabres won the division before he got there with 92 points, they finished with 89 points his first season. They were a garbage team propped up by the best goalie of all time. The Stars missed the playoffs with 2 guys older than 40 in their top 5 in scoring, they got Ruff and Seguin and played uptempo hockey and made the playoffs with a middling roster.

It's possible Ruff can't get the team over the hump, but you would've said them having a season like last season with Ruff was absolutely impossible and laughed at anyone who claimed otherwise.

 

[TBF1972]

is jim a yankee fan?

Lindy is a good coach but I don't think he's the long-term answer. We could certainly do (and have done) far worse.

no need to bring up john hynes

 

[TBF1972]

His age is a minor concern for me, the bigger concern is that he's been a head coach for 22 seasons and hasn't won a championship. 3 division titles in 22 seasons. He hasn't gotten out of the 2nd round since the Bush administration. Career win percentage of 0.487%.

Now granted he was coaching a lot of bad/budget teams. But still. He is a compiler, good enough to have a job but not good enough to do anything notable. We could do much worse, but we could also do better.

i know you live in canada, but anyway.

for whom do you vote for a 4 year term - biden or trump?

age and what is considered too old has changed a lot in the last few years. lou is still running the islanders.

I can't believe he's only 63... he's looked 63 for the last 15 years.

most likely he is female celebrating his 39th birthday 20 times

 

[TBF1972]

(Hastily changes “Fire Lindy” sign to “You’re Our Fire, Lindy” sign)

come on lindy light my fire

 

[Maine Fan]

I was disappointed with Ruff getting an extension. He is a great regular season coach but IMO not a great playoff season coach. My opinion. I wouldn't mind if they got an associate coach that could assist Ruff come playoff time. But instead they hired Travis Green.
Travis Green was only an NHL head coach for the Vancover Canucks starting in 2017. His
record:
17-18' 31W 40 L
18-19' 35 W 36 L
19-20' 36 W 27 L
20-21' 23 W 29 L
21-22' 8 W 15 L FIRED

this is the associate coach to help Ruff? I don't think so. You say Ruff doesn't need help he can think his feet in a playoff series against the best coaches. I don't agree. There is a large difference between a regular season game and a playoff game.