FISCHLER: And the Winner Is -- Lindy

The competition was keen.
Very keen.
Lindy Ruff was up against formidable competition for the coveted head coaching opportunity in
Newark
.
Peter Laviolette, Gerard Gallant and John Stevens -- among others -- all had redoubtable resumes for the Garden State gig.
But Lindy's was better and that explains why general manager Tom Fitzgerald and the club ownership selected Ruff.
One of the first to laud the Devils move was Scotty Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history.
"Good move," Bowman told me via e mail. "Lindy's head coaching experience will be a huge asset for the Devils group of young players. When Lindy skated for me (with the Sabres) he was the consummate team player."
Make no mistake, the choice extends well beyond Lindy's long and exemplary playing career not to mention a coaching career that is being applauded around the hockey world.

FULL COVERAGE
PRESS RELEASES
Devils Hire Tom Fitzgerald as EVP/General Manager
Devils Hire Lindy Ruff as Head Coach
VIDEO
DEVILS NOW | A Big Day for Fitzgerald and Ruff
Full Press Conference Introducing Ruff, Fitzgerald
Welcome, Lindy Ruff!
1-on-1 with Jake Reynolds
1-on-1 with Martin Brodeur
1-on-1 with Lindy Ruff
Zajac on the Coaching Hire
Zacha on the Coaching Hire
ARTICLES
BIG READ: The Path Forward
About Lindy Ruff
Who is Lindy Ruff? Stan Fischler Surveys the Hockey World
The History of Devils Coaches, From Stan Fischler
Stan Fischler Gets Thoughts from Scott Bowman, Chico Resch and Others on the Hire
QUICK HITS
Three Things on Lindy Ruff, presented by Wawa
Lindy Ruff Fast Facts
Stan Fischler's Coaching Sidebar
BLOGS
Ruff Ready to Develop Young Devils Team
Fitzgerald Reaches Post Playing Days Dream with GM Title
Blitzer Discusses Devils GM and Coach Hirings
Former Devils goaltender and more recently the club's radio analyst, Glenn (Chico) Resch likens Lindy to "every player's favorite coach, Larry Robinson."
Resch: "Lindy possessed the same skills as Larry did; he's a player's coach. That is, in terms of communication, accountability and caring for players in all areas of their lives both on and off the ice.
"On top of that, Ruff knows the game inside-out and especially knows the style of game that's being played in the NHL. He has a lot of (Islanders coach) Barry Trotz in him and Barry is the most universally respected coach in the league."
Inheriting a young club with immense player and Draft assets, Ruff -- along with Fitzgerald -- provides a leadership tandem dating back to their days with the Florida Panthers.
Fitz still was a player when assistant coach Ruff helped pace the Cinderella Sunshine State Cats to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.
There's also a lifetime link between Lindy and Devils icon-front office official Martin Brodeur. Ruff was associate coach of Team Canada when Marty was goalie.
Budding stars such as Nico Hischer, Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes paid their dues in the aborted 2019-2020 season. One of Lindy's challenges will be honing the young players games to further sharpness.
"Lindy will be excellent in that role," Resch adds. "The kids have taken some tough blows to their confidence. He's a coach who'll be caring, understanding and help restore the young guys' confidence."
Ruff's well of intelligence runs deep. Apart from his playing days, Lindy has coached 19 seasons in the NHL and is sixth in NHL history with 736 victories and is seventh in games coached, 1,493.
Having played both defense and forward for the Buffalo Sabres, the Devils newly-minted mentor will apply his learned skills to areas which have proven weak with the Garden Staters.
"It's a good move for the Devils," says New York Times hockey reporter Allan Kreda. "They now have a fine coach with bonafide experience."
MSG Networks Devils play-by-play expert Steve Cangialosi allows that he's impressed with Lindy's "sense of humor with regard to the process of landing the job with interviews exclusively via Zoom meetings."
Like other media analysts Cangialosi has been thinking about the "Ruff" style of hockey and how it will be applied to the Devils.
Cangi: "Ruff will be true to his word wanting to play what he calls a 'super-fast possession-type game. I'm interested in seeing the effect on cornerstones of the franchise such as Jack Hughes.
"Let's not forget that in Lindy's first season in Dallas, Tyler Seguin made the transformation from good young player to genuine superstar, scoring 37 goals. I've always believed that the sky's the limit for Hughes."
Rob Taub, who has been the Devils beat man for my weekly (26-year-old) newsletter, The Fischler Report, points out that the club's soft underbelly, defense, will get special attention from Ruff.
"Lindy is bringing an 'old-school' defensive mindset to a team that lacked that intangible in recent seasons," adds Taub.
Ruff's friends -- and he has a legion of pals through the NHL -- call Lindy "a young 60." That point has been underlined over the years by his uncanny ability to bring out the best in potential young stars.

"Ruff''s track record developing young players -- and teams -- into winners is there to see over the years," notes Taub. "We saw that in Buffalo with Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Jason Pominville.
"Those were no flukes nor what he was able to do in Dallas with guys such as Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn."
The advent of the Ruff Era in New Jersey replaces the noble pinch-coaching job produced by Alain Nasreddine who stepped up when John Hynes was relieved of being bench boss.
That said, there's no question that ownership believes that new, experienced leadership was a top priority.
The fact that Tom Fitzgerald's nameplate has been changed from "Interim" to General Manager has won media approval. Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media was one of the first to endorse Tom's improved status.
"Fitz has received rave reviews since being elevated on January 12th when Ray Shero was fired as general manager," writes Miller.
Both the GM and his new coach next will be huddling on a support staff that figures to include Ruff's choices as his aides. In the meantime, kudos have been flowing in supporting the double-dip announcement.
One of Ruff's former Buffalo stickhandlers, right wing Rob Ray, exulted over the move. Randy Miller quoted Ray on the hiring.
"We were prepared going into every game," said Ray, "and every series. Lindy was an old-school type of coach for a long time, and learned to communicate with the younger guys.
"He realized the day and age of hard-nosed in-your-face coaches is over. He's gone above and beyond to learn to communicate with the younger kids," added Ray, now a TV hockey analyst for the Sabres.
Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Jimmy Devellano, a Hall of Famer in the "Builders" category, lauded the move.
"The Devils now have an experienced guy who nearly won a Stanley Cup," Devellano told me.
Matt Loughlin, the radio voice of the Devils, points out that Lindy will be "a stabilizing force behind the bench," among his many assets.
Loughlin: "It's not often that a team can hire someone who is in the top-ten in all-time wins. Lindy has been a long-time NHL success. His experience will help the development of the team's young stars while being a stabilizing force behind the bench.

"Plus, he's remained current. He's been in the trenches as an assistant coach so he's thoroughly immersed in the modern game. Lindy's resume and experience make him a winner."
Ditto says Matthew Blittner, author of "Unforgettable Devils: Games and Moments From the Press Box, Ice and Front Office." Needless to say Blittner endorses the moves.
"Kudos to the Devils for choosing a coach who has a wealth of experience to share with the young roster," Blittner tells me. "A key to this will be Ruff fixing the penalty kill. He did it in New York with the Rangers and can do it in Jersey.
"Lindy sure turned around the career of young Tyler Seguin in Dallas and now he's in a position to do the same thing with young Jack Hughes."
Longtime Devils fan and season ticket-holder, Emma Miller, did a thumbs-up when she heard the news about the club's new coach.
"I watched Lindy turn a struggling Stars team into a winner," Miller recalls. "Like those Stars, the Devils have a bag of assets that could combine to make them a serious contender. With that in mind, Ruff is the right man at the helm.
"And when he was with the Rangers, he developed young D-men Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox into assets. He'll do the same in New Jersey with the Devils promising kids."
One of the most pulsating aspects of these transformative moments in New Jersey Devils history is just knowing how important this opportunity is for Lindy, now in his fifth decade of professional hockey, and seeking The Cup.
"I'm excited to get back in the lead chair and guide the future of this team," Ruff concludes. "This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a group of great talent and strong leadership to the next level."
And let's not forget, Lindy had to beat out some high-class competition to reach his latest challenge.