(Newark, New Jersey) Something special is happening in New Jersey this season. Without fanfare, the Devils rose to the NHL’s elite, where no one expected them.
From Jack Hughes to Dougie Hamilton via Nico Hischier, the architects of success are numerous. But let’s not forget the head coach in all of this. A man whose season began to boos from fans exasperated with waiting. That man is Lindy Ruff.
Bill Lindsay is well placed to talk about it. The former Nordiques and Canadiens played under Ruff in Florida from 1993 to 1997, when the latter was assistant coach with the Panthers. To this day, Lindsay follows the NHL closely as an analyst of Panthers radio games.
“In Florida, we practiced trapping because it was the only way we were going to win, remembers Lindsay, on the phone. Look at Lindy’s teams next, they’ve always been good in the neutral zone. When he led the Sabers [de Buffalo] in the final in 1999, they created turnovers in the center of the ice, to leave quickly in transition.
“In New Jersey this year, we see that. The Devils are one of the surprises and credit goes to Lindy and Tom Fitzgerald [le directeur général]. »
Give a chance
Antoine Roussel had just 39 games behind the tie when the Dallas Stars signed Ruff in 2013. Although he didn’t yet have veteran status, he got a call from Ruff, who wanted to “show up.” , quite simply. It was the start of a four-year collaboration.
“Those were my best years. He gave me some, lousse, remembers the Frenchman by birth, Saguenean by adoption. He tried me out with Tyler Seguin. He believed in me, he believed in an undrafted little guy. I established myself as a veteran and played 10 years because at the beginning of my career he trusted me. »
What Roussel liked? “His human side”, he replies immediately. And behind the bench? “He had the feeling of the game. If you played well, he gave it to you. It’s fun, a coach like that. Some coaches just send lines 1, 2, 3, 4, they only see the next day on the video that this line was working, and it’s frustrating for a player. »
Jason Pominville, he played under Ruff in Buffalo, starting in 2005. Ruff had already been in the saddle for eight years when the forward arrived at the Sabres.
He was the first to believe in me, who gave me my chance.
Jason Pominville
The Quebecer was part of the generation that propelled the Sabers after the 2004-2005 lockout, when Buffalo had seasons of 110 and 113 points.
“He and Darcy Regier [le DG] realized there would be less snagging and the game would be faster. Look at the years we’ve had, our attack, the creativity… It’s sure that we had good players. But the league is a lot of copy-paste. He was ahead. »
Among the elite
Casually, Ruff is now part of the elite of his profession. Tuesday, against the Canadian, he will lead his 1688e game as head coach in the National League.
Most games for a head coach in the NHL
- Scotty Bowman (2141)
- Barry Trotz (1812)
- Joel Quenneville (1768)
- Paul Maurice (1743) *
- Lindy Ruff (1687)*
* Always active
Part of his longevity is explained by his 15-year stay at the helm of the Sabres, an anomaly in the middle. “Darcy Regier also stayed a long time. They had stability with the owner. But a coach won’t stay long if he’s not good. He was a good coach, who had a connection with the fans. People loved him. »
Ruff won the Jack Adams Trophy, given to the coach of the year, in 2006. If the Devils keep up the pace, he will invite himself into the conversation to win a second. Already, he’s had an apology from the same fans who booed him at the start of the season, which is worth a trophy in itself.
On the international scene, he has two Olympic gold medals, acquired as an assistant with Team Canada in Vancouver in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014.
All he’s missing is a Stanley Cup. He came close in 1999, two wins, in fact, until Brett Hull’s controversial goal. Three other times Ruff led the Sabers to the conference finals, but that was in 1998, 2006 and 2007.
Since 2007, however, Ruff’s teams have won only one playoff round, and that was in 2016 in Dallas.
With their success this season, the Devils have the ammunition to stay up late. But that will imply, if the logic is respected, eliminating the Hurricanes and the Rangers in quick succession. An ambitious project if ever there was one.