Ruff continues to adapt, becomes fifth NHL coach to win 800 games

NEWARK, N.J. -- Lindy Ruff has found a way to adapt, listen and persevere in his 22 seasons as an NHL coach.

The 62-year-old still enjoys the traditional practice, the video work, game planning, and, most importantly, watching his players excel in big moments.
On Saturday, Ruff became the fifth coach in NHL history to win 800 games when his New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 5-1 at Prudential Center. The others to reach the milestone are Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), Barry Trotz (914) and Ken Hitchcock (849).
"I've got a lot of respect for all those names ... a lot of great coaches," Ruff said. "I obviously played for Scotty Bowman and I have a lot of respect for him. I still communicate with him on occasion. The reason you get there is you've found a way to adapt through the years and get to that point."

What did he take away from his eight seasons (1979-87) as a player under the tutelage of Bowman?
"The way he matched lines ... his tweaking who was playing with different players," Ruff said. "He didn't keep lines together that often. He made me a defenseman, and also a left winger about three months into my first season. And I was foolish enough to score the first game I played left wing."
Ruff is 800-634-141 with 78 ties in 1,653 games as an NHL coach. He is 64-80-16 with the Devils since being hired on July 9, 2020.
"The interaction, the adrenaline, dealing with players ... I enjoy it," Ruff said. "I really enjoy the day to day, trying to get us to play better, trying to get players to keep improving our game while getting to know them better."
Ruff's strategy is certainly working this season. New Jersey (18-4-0) has won 15 of its past 16 games and tied a franchise record by winning 13 straight from Oct. 25-Nov. 21.
"When you're in the game that long it says a lot about the consistency with which you do things," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's able to get his team to play a certain cohesive style and able to communicate with his players. Ultimately, if you don't find success, the League kind of chews you up and spits you out, so I think he's been able to just find that consistency in pushing teams in the right direction, getting them to play well, pushing them towards Stanley Cup Playoffs, and then having success in the playoffs.
"The coaches I think that stand the test of time are able to do that."
New Jersey is first in the Metropolitan Division and second in the Eastern Conference despite opening the season with consecutive 5-2 losses to the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 13, and Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 15.
"You have to be open to listening a lot more today than when I started coaching," Ruff said. "I think players listen to you, but at the same time, they want you to listen to them when they've got a point to be made."

Ruff, who is fifth in NHL history in games coached, spent 15 seasons as coach of the Buffalo Sabres (1997-2013), leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, and four with the Dallas Stars (2013-17) before he was hired as an assistant by the New York Rangers on July 10, 2017. He then spent three seasons in New York before he was hired by New Jersey to replace Alain Nasreddine on July 9, 2020.
Ruff won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2005-06 and was runner-up to Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks in 2006-07, when Buffalo had the best season in its history (53-22-7, 113 points).
Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette, who was hired by New Jersey on July 15, has enjoyed his time with Ruff this season. In particular, he respects the way in which Ruff deals with pressure and interacts with the players.
"The way he sort of delivers his message day to day I think is pretty powering because you can feel his passion," Brunette said. "He mixes it in with how much he kind of loves his players. I think he manages both sides of that, where he's demanding but also rewarding."
Said Devils forward Miles Wood: "Lindy knows how to get the best out of his players. He knows each players' personality extremely well and knows how to poke at you to get you going. Guys love playing for him because he knows when to joke and when to be serious, and he knows how to win hockey games."
As a player, Ruff, who was selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 32) of the 1979 NHL Draft, had 300 points (105 goals, 195 assists) in 691 regular-season games for the Sabres and Rangers, and 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 52 playoff games.
"Sometimes we'll have those hard practices and other times we'll have a practice that's more recovery base," Devils forward Dawson Mercer said. "I love when we have the gritty, hard type of practice. I'm kind of old school in that regard, but I'm a smaller player, so I like the newer style. I'm a mix of it all and Lindy provides that."