Report: Devils to hire Lindy Ruff as next head coach
Weeks ago, Sean Hartnett of WFAN New York campaigned against the New Jersey Devils hiring longtime coach and current New York Rangers assistant Lindy Ruff.
Hartnett's argument may have fallen on deaf ears.
On Wednesday, former goaltender and current NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes tweeted that the Devils will hire Ruff as the club's new coach and remove the interim tag from general manager Tom Fitzgerald:
Only five coaches in history have accumulated more career wins than Ruff (736), and he guided the 1998-99 Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final. Unlike every coach with more career victories, however, Ruff, 60, has zero titles on his resume. He hasn't held a head-coaching gig since the spring of 2017.
From Hartnett: "Despite his accomplishments, Ruff has struggled in each of his most recent positions. The Stars finished fifth or lower in the Central Division in three of the four seasons Ruff served as head coach. Between 2013-14 and 2016-17, the Stars ranked 28th of 30 NHL teams with a 79.6 penalty kill percentage and 27th with 2.95 goals against per game.
"Since Ruff arrived in New York in 2017, the Rangers rank 27th of 31 NHL teams with a 3.21 goals against per game and 23rd overall with a 79.0 penalty kill percentage. Over this period, no team has surrendered more shots against per game than the Blueshirts’ 34.4."
It's not known if Ruff, who won the 2005–06 Jack Adams Award given to the league's best coach, will remain with the Rangers through the 24-team format to crown a champion for this season paused on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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