Link: Buffalo News - Lindy Ruff's gift of gab sparks team.
One of the things that solidified my decision for adopting the Buffalo Sabres as my own was that Lindy Ruff was the Head Coach. Ruff's overall demeanor, wry candor and his ability to dish out the perfect one-liner impressed the hell out of me. Along with that his ability to extract the most out of his roster, even those who didn't like him, made me one of his staunchest supporters during these past few seasons... the lean and forgettable years. During those times I wondered seriously if I would continue to follow the Sabres with the same enthusiasm if he was fired, that's how much I identify him with the team. To me he is similar to Bill Parcells, when he left the Giants and his imprimatur was no longer stamped on them, i didn't care as much as I did before. During his tenure I became a fan of him and less a fan of the team I had grown up rooting for. I rooted for the Pats (secretly, of course) when he went there... though there was no way I could support the Tuna while coaching the Jets or Dallas, some things are just not done.
I never watched Lindy Ruff play hockey, or if I did when I was younger I don't remember it. But, I remember clearly that as I was falling in love with the sport for the second time in my life that process was inextricably bound to the image of him being behind the bench of the Hardest Working Team in Hockey. These are my biases, and I wear them proudly.
I've long held the belief that he was this organization's greatest asset (aside, of course, from the stability brought by Tom Golisano's ownership). And, this year, he is proving that assessment correct on a number of levels. There are a number of coaches who are doing a phenomanal job of leading their teams to unexpected success... Tom Renney and Peter Laviolette to name a couple. But those guys have something that Ruff doesn't have... a bonafide Superstar on their rosters... Jagr and Staal.
Instead the Sabres have Ruff.
The proof, for me, of great coaching lies in the special teams and the Sabres are 2nd in the league on the Power Play and 3rd on the Penalty Kill. As John Vogl's article points out, the Sabres coaching staff is prepared and their work ethic informs the work ethic of the players. Special Teams is not only discipline and talent, but preparation. Knowing what the other team's tendancies are is an advantage, and it's one that can only come from great coaching.
So, that's it, my case for why Ruff deserves (at this point) the curse of the Jack Adams Trophy. But, if I know Lindy, he'll figure out a way to avoid that one as well.
Ta,
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