Lindy Ruff feels a sense of urgency as he returns to coach the Buffalo Sabres for a second time.
“It falls on our group to get to this to the next level,” Ruff said in his (re)inroductory press conference on Tuesday. “As (general manager) Kevyn (Adams) said, the time is now.”
The time better be now, considering the Sabres are on a league-high, 13-year playoff drought.
The Sabres last made the playoffs months after current owner Terry Pegula purchased the team in 2011, with Ruff as coach.
Ruff, 64, was fired by the Sabres early in the 2012-13 campaign, ending a 15-season run in the job highlighted by a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999.
Now, he’s back in a city where he coached and played after stints as head coach of the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils.
Ruff is popular with the fanbase, thanks to his past success. He started one press conference as Devils coach urging reporters to hustle so he could watch a Buffalo Bills game.
“There is some personal there for sure,” Ruff said of the challenge. “Obviously, I’ve lived in this city and owned a house in this city since 1979. I think I understand from my playing days and coaching days, how great this city is when you have a successful hockey club.
“It would mean a lot to have this group of players experience what i was able to as a player and as a coach. This building shook in some of the playoff series I was involved in.”
Since Ruff was fired, the Sabres have gone through six coaches. Don Granato was fired last week after two-plus seasons.
The Sabres, who are flush with young talent, were a popular pick to make the playoffs this past season, but couldn’t recover from a horrific start.
The drought has resulted in plummeting attendance.
“There’s a been a lot of really good hockey games out of this club whether it’s this year, last year. I think the part that has to go one level higher is consistency.
“Our fans will be back, they’re great fans.”
