1997 was a strange time to be a Buffalo Sabres fan. The Sabres won a Northeast Division Title,  and the team was  considered an overachieving team by many standards. A strange injury and rumored incidents with superstar goaltender Dominik Hasek and then Head Coach Ted Nolan loomed large over the 1997 NHL Playoffs, and the Sabres were ousted in the 2nd round by the Philadelphia Flyers. Ted Nolan was named NHL Coach of the Year by taking home the Jack Adams trophy. Nolan was a Native American, he was brash, he had a bright future ahead of him, so it appeared.

Then strange got even stranger in Western New York.

Nolan was low-balled by Sabres GM Darcy Regier and was only offered a 1 year contract extension in July 1997, Nolan was insulted, and left the Sabres after garnering so much positive attention throughout the NHL world.

The Sabres then appeared to be a team in chaos, so Regier and the Sabres needed to act fast and hire someone that can keep the ship going in the right direction, and a name that Sabres fans can recognize and respect.

Enter Lindy Cameron Ruff.

Lindy Ruff was hired as the 15th head Coach in Buffalo Sabres history on July 21st, 1997. Ruff embodied some of the same qualities as his predecessor while he was with the Buffalo Sabres: Toughness. Hard worked. Great character player and well respected. At the time he appeared to, and was proven to be, a wise choice by Regier and Co.

Ruff guided the Sabres to two straight Eastern Conference appearances in 1998 and 1999, and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, the first for the franchise since 1975.Despite the ‘loss’ to the Dallas Stars (which will always be debated in Buffalo sports lore) Ruff became a very popular figure in Buffalo. The sky was the limit.

Then, some ‘Ruff’ patches.

Then Buffalo Sabres owner John Rigas sank the Sabres into a deep financial hole, creating rumors of the team even possibly relocating from Buffalo. The Sabres then proceeded to miss the playoffs for 3 straight seasons, but even those in Buffalo gave (and rightfully so) Ruff a pass for this time period because of the instability of the franchise as a whole.

Enter new owner Tom Golisano who resurrected the Sabres for a few seasons. The Sabres rebounded after the horrific times of 2004 when the NHL lost an entire season, and advanced to two more Eastern Conference Finals in a row. After a devastating Game 7 loss at Carolina in May 2006, the Buffalo Sabres then went on to win the President’s Trophy in 2006-2007, and then were stunningly ousted in 5 games by the Ottawa Senators and Ray Emery.

Yes, I said Ray Emery.

Ruff leaves the Buffalo Sabres with a 571-432-84 record (59% Winning Percentage) and a 57-44 record in the NHL Playoffs. Ruff has the most wins of any coach in NHL history with one team. Despite these impressive numbers, the time for a change was was now.

As the past few years have gone by, the Sabres have disappointed more then they have surprised. It was becoming clear as each month and year passed that despite Ruff being a very good coach for the Buffalo Sabres, it was time for a new voice. But nothing happened. ‘Status Quo’ was the theme in Buffalo, much to the chagrin of a fan base getting restless to taste a Stanley Cup victory for the first time ever.

Ruff was a player who went to bat for his players (at least publicly) and would not back down for sticking up for his players. The famous Ottawa-Buffalo brawl of 2007 was a perfect example of that, as Ruff sent out all the enforcers (Andrew Peters, Adam Mair and Patrick Kaleta) to stick up for Chris Drury, who was the victim of a questionable hit. Ruff was not shy about criticizing officials, or going after the likes of Peter Laviolette like he did in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals.

In the social media world we live in, reactions to any news like this happen fast. I was out to lunch today when a good friend of mine sent me a text that Lindy was fired. My initial reactions were such like I am sure most fans are right now: “It’s About Time”….”Sayonara Lindy”…were a couple of my reactions via text message. But after thinking about this for a few minutes and look at the big picture, it is a bittersweet feeling as a Sabres fan.

Part of me thinks that Darcy Regier is the real #1 issue with this franchise right now: The way he has constructed the team, the horrendous signing of Ville Leino for the sake of naming one, and yet Regier gets a contract extension? How can Regier survive after Lindy Ruff?

The fear that so many other Sabres fans have had of Owner Terry Pegula is: Will Terry be able to separate fandom from business? It great that Pegula is not afraid to spend on the team, but can he let his NHL people do their job without meddling too much? Perhaps today he and the Sabres took a step to answer that question, as Darcy Regier was quoted as saying this was ‘his decision’ We shall see how he handles Regier soon.

Lindy was a popular figure in Buffalo sports. He brought stability to a team that at the time had tons of instability surrounding it. He has fire, passion, that is a reflection of the fan base that packs First Niagara Center. 500+ wins. 4 Eastern Conference Finals. 1 Stanley Cup appearance. And a host of memories (both good and bad) to go along with it.

I have three words for Lindy Cameron Ruff in closing: ‘Thank You Lindy’ And I wish you nothing but the best.

NOTES:

Per sources, the Buffalo Sabres have chosen Rochester Amerks Head Coach Ron Rolston to take over as the 16th coach in Buffalo Sabres history. Ron is the older brother of Brian Rolston.