The New Jersey Devils announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed head coach Lindy Ruff to a multi-year extension.
“I’m thrilled to commit here to this situation and couldn’t be prouder of the great progress that our group made last season,” Ruff told NHL dot com. “We have a special group in Jersey and there’s an opportunity to accomplish long-term success, make a lot of positive memories and give our fans a lot to cheer about – because our Devils’ fan base is one of the best in the League and they deserve to see a winner.”
Last season, Ruff led the young Devils to their first postseason since 2018. Along the way, New Jersey accrued a 52-22-8 record. The Devils’ 112-point season under Ruff’s tutelage is the best season in New Jersey in franchise history. He later led the Devils past the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning their first playoff series since 2012.
Ruff served as the Devils’ head coach for the last three seasons. His contract ran out at the end of the 2022-23 season. However, back in June, general manager Tom Fitzgerald explained Ruff wasn’t going anywhere.
“That’s something that’s another thing on my plate that I have to I have to get off,” Fitzgerald explained in his end-of-season conference. “Again, it needs more communication with ownership. But Lindy knows that this is his home.”
As the Devils bench boss over the last three seasons, Ruff has earned a 98-98-24 record. New Jersey’s breakout season earned him a Jack Adams Award nomination for the 2022-23 season.
Ruff continues his career as the eighth-most-winningest coach in NHL history. Ruff’s career record currently sits at 834-652-78-149, a points percentage of .553.
Prior to his career with the Devils, Ruff stood as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. The Warburg, Alberta native spent a long 15 years as the Sabres head coach accruing a 571-432-78-84. As the Stars coach for four seasons, he led Dallas to a 165-122-41 record.
In just his second year as a head coach, Ruff led the Sabres to becoming Eastern Conference Champions. In the 2005-06 season, Ruff earned the Jack Adams trophy, awarded to the head coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.”
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