Ruff

[Larry Playfair]

From the Buff news: http://buffalonews.com/editorial/20060516/1059781.asp

 

"We decided which players we were going to keep based on those qualities. We put all our eggs in that basket. Darcy and I had plenty of conversations about special teams being a huge factor. That was the bet we placed."

 

The Sabres were a long shot, but here they are, in the conference finals. The gamble paid off more handsomely than anyone could have imagined. A callow young team defied expectations and came of age before its time. And a lot of the credit has to go to the coaches.

 

Ruff has been the guiding hand, pushing almost every conceivable right button. He has trusted his young players to respond to new challenges and for the most part, they haven't let him down. Ruff has put his players in a position to succeed - which is the defining quality of any top head coach.

 

At some point, it stops being coincidence. Ruff has made the playoffs five times in his eight years and the Sabres have made the conference finals three times. If not for a bad bounce in the sixth game of the Pittsburgh series in 2001, this would be their fourth trip to the Eastern finals in the Ruff-Regier era.

 

The Sabres have played in 12 playoff series under Ruff and won eight of them. Ruff is 40-25 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His teams have won 20 games at home and 20 on the road. Seven times, they have started a series on the road and won Game One. Five times, including both series this year, they have clinched a playoff series away from home.

 

Among coaches with at least 40 postseason wins, Ruff is fourth all-time with a .615 winning percentage. That's one spot behind his former coach and mentor, a certified legend by the name of Scotty Bowman. Ruff is the only man in the Top 10 who has not won a Cup.

 

 

Keying on special teams being a very large component to the new game, including avoiding penalties, was so important throughout the year and led us to that great start.

 

As to the other numbers....welll....I dont think i believed they would be that compelling. Those numbers are outstanding!

 

Thanks Lindy, for making us believe, and for not stifling our best offensive players!

 

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SABES!

[Taro T]

The quote in the paragraph above it is as (or more) telling.

 

"I think the vision was that we needed a team full of players who were committed to playing both ways," Ruff said Monday at HSBC Arena while his team enjoyed a well-deserved break from practice. "That you could be responsible on the ice and it didn't matter what player from the other team was on the ice. Good speed. Good discipline, which means you have to be smart.

 

I think this is the direction the Sabres have been heading at least since Golisano took over and actually, based on drafting prior to Golisano showing up, ever since the criminals got the boot.

 

I don't know whether this was foresight on the part of Darcy and Lindy as to which way the league would go after a lockout (salary cap and opening up the on-ice play) or merely an acknowledgement that the only way the Sabres could survive in Buffalo was in a system (economic and on-ice) where the Sabres current style would thrive. (There's no sense in trying to build a team for a set of conditions that it can't be viable, so focus on the conditions that it CAN be viable and HOPE the conditions come around.)

 

The Sabres needed to be in an environment where they could come close to breaking even (or do much better as they appear to be on pace for). Since in a non-3-4 round playoff run season, in order to break even they will need to have a payroll a few mill below the cap, they can't afford to have the bulk of their $'s tied up in a single player (unless he lives between the pipes, and even then that is a risky strategy). I doubt that we will ever see the big budget guys end up in Buffalo and may unfortunately see some guys leave after they become studs, but as long as the scouts can continue to pick out guys like Pominville in the 2nd and Gaustad in the 7th and Darcy can pull the trigger on 2-3 acquisitions / year (through FA or trade) this team will be able to compete at a high level for the foreseeable future.

 

While Golisano is on record as saying he doesn't plan to take huge losses year after year, he is also on record as saying he looked at buying the Sabres and keeping them in WNY as essentially a community service. With that perspective, there is a very good likelihood that he will keep most of the "surplus" this team generates in the team. Ideally, he will have Larry and Darcy move the Sabres payroll toward the middle of the pack and set up a rainy day fund from additional revenues gained during seasons like this so the Sabres can concentrate on re-signing their existing talent and not end up on a payroll rollercoaster that forces the team to turnover players and then overpay them based on a particular season's results.

 

Back on topic, Larry is absolutely correct that the coaches deserve a ton of credit for the job they have done. They managed to determine what situations their players would likely succeed in, and then gave them the opportunity to show whether they could or they couldn't. For the most part, the players have rewarded the faith the coaching staff put in them. As good as this season has been, next season could be just as successful because these kids are becoming veterans with every passing game. This year, they believed they could do well but it was merely faith that they could do what they needed to do. Now, they also will have experienced success. KNOWING you can do what you need to do to be successful is extremely empowering. These kids know they did more than others believed they could and are now on the verge of a truly remarkable accomplishment. (Whether they climb the mountain or not, this is not the same team that beat the Isles on October 5.)

 

I believe this team can reach its goal. It will be a very difficult test to get there, but they are in a fantastic position to accomplish it. I don't believe that Lindy will allow the team to look past Carolina nor will he allow them to be outworked by Carolina. Carolina could win, but they will have to bring their absolute A game to do it and Ward will have to be stellar if Buffalo brings its A game. I expect Buffalo to continue to bring its A game.

[Corp000085]

So, how many more years and/or stanley cup(s) before we debate hall of fame worthiness?

[Taro T]

So, how many more years and/or stanley cup(s) before we debate hall of fame worthiness?

That is a debate for off-season, not during a playoff run.

[deluca67]

So, how many more years and/or stanley cup(s) before we debate hall of fame worthiness?

 

Is this his 3rd Conference Final in five playoffs? When the Sabres win I think he jumps over the Pat Burns of the NHL.

 

If Ruff left the Sabres this off season how many team would be willing to fire their coach and hire Ruff? 20-25?

[Taro T]

Is this his 3rd Conference Final in five playoffs? When the Sabres win I think he jumps over the Pat Burns of the NHL.

 

If Ruff left the Sabres this off season how many team would be willing to fire their coach and hire Ruff? 20-25?

It looks like to move to extend Lindy another year was pretty good.