BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lindy Ruff has some unfinished business in Buffalo.
Some 11 years after being fired as the Sabres’ winningest coach, and following head-coaching stops in Dallas and New Jersey, the 64-year-old Ruff is getting his old job back after being hired by the Sabres on Monday. He takes over a team in the midst of an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought, replacing Don Granato, who was fired last week after three-plus seasons behind the bench.
For Ruff, the hiring marks a homecoming. The former Sabres defenseman and captain went on to spend 14-plus seasons coaching the team, including its final postseason appearance — a seven-game, first-round loss to Philadelphia in 2011.
His return also revives the memory of Ruff’s bid to defend his job in Buffalo a week before he was fired when he said: “It’s on me to clean up this mess. … And I’m not done trying.”
n substantially since he departed a month into the NHL’s lockout-shortened 2013 season.
During that 11-year span, the Sabres have finished with the NHL’s worst record four times, are now on their seventh coach and fourth general manager, and have undergone several rebuilding phases. The team closed last season with the NHL’s youngest roster.
In hiring Ruff, general manager Kevyn Adams fulfilled his vision of bringing in a coach with extensive experience.
Ruff won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s coach of the year with Buffalo in 2006. He ranks fifth on the career list with 1,774 games coached and 864 victories, with a franchise-record 571 coming in Buffalo.
Adams’ brief career as an assistant coach began in 2011, when he was hired to work under Ruff in Buffalo.
“As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job,” Adams said. “He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players and so much more. I want to be clear, though, that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now, and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals.”
Ruff coached the New Jersey Devils the past four seasons, including a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year, before being fired in March. He was replaced by Travis Green, and the Devils still missed the playoffs.
“This is a team ready to take the next step,” Ruff said. “I am both…