Should Lindy Ruff be Fired?

No

Yes

this is the year of change

Yeah, fire the Coach – That works (Morons)
I guarantee we would see Ruff as the head coach of Ottawa next season

The Sabres have the best GM/Coach tandem in the NHL – Don’t fix what is not broke – ya know

Wow, what absolutely terrible commentary. So, he has coached 890 games and won 431 so his winning percentage is .481? Well, I'm guessing you counted 78 ties as non-wins. If you excluded ties, his winning percentage climbs to .531. Also, if you exclude over-time losses, which also result in a point, his winning percentage climbs to .563.

As for his playoff appearances, the Sabres have made the ECF 4 times during his tenure. Want to know what teams have gone to more conference finals than Buffalo during that period? None. Buffalo is tied with Dallas, Detroit, and Colorado.

And, with regard to excluding seasons with Hasek, Drury and Briere. That sounds reasonable. So, let's exclude any coach leading NJ since they had Brodeur. Good players and good coaches go hand in hand.

Real quick, prior to Ruff, how many times had Buffalo got out of the first round of the playoffs? Not too many, you'll see.

Point is, get rid of Ruff at your peril. He has been an extremely successful coach that has endured bankruptcy, a lockout and he even modified his conservative offensive strategies for the speed Buffalo had post-lockout.

NO. We have the BEST Coach...and yet the WORST GM in the NHL. People in the league do not understand how REgier keeps his job. Rumor has it he has pictures of key Sabres execs in compromising situations. Regier is HORRIBLE

No, he shouldn't be fired.

Hey, BlueBalls check your facts before you post crap like this again. Your argument does not hold up once you take the comments of TorBuffChester into consideration –

It would be a dumber move than the wingate hotel. But hey, we could build the wingate and have pitts coach the sabres, Shanghai Reds would be a boomtown.

Sports! Sports! Sports!

I like Lindy. He's got spunk.

how many teams have a better overall record in the same time period as ruff has been our coach. it doesn't really seem that any team except detroit really stands out. Who is going to do a better job? There is so much parity in the NHL and i think darcy and and Ruff have done an outstanding job considering current realities.

what kind of question is this anyways? I have looked up to and admired Lindy Ruff since, well, i guess i would have twelve years old. I would fall asleep ever night to hockey hot line with Roby and Brian Blessing. Lindy has always had something worth listening to. It wouldn't feel right without him around

No, definitely not.

I think the better question to ask is: Should bluedevil be allowed to post more inane articles on Buffalo Rising?

In determining winning percentages for coaches or teams, each tie is supposed to count as half a win and half a loss.

For example, a team or coach having 4 wins, 4 ties, and 4 losses has a .500 winning percentage (not .333).

Bottom line...we don't have good enough players to win. They are soft and lack the instinct and will to grind with the better players in the league. They do not have a legitimate first line and at best they have one legit second line, that leaves an entire team of third and fourth line players. When given a hardworking and talented team, or just a couple key ingredients, Lindy has taken the team to impressive heights. Gut the meat of the team and bring younger/cheaper players through the system to early and this is what you get.. a bunch of wet behind the ears juveniles having the time of thier lives, traveling, partying and playing superstar.
The real tragedy is the ownership/management has managed to completely f$%^ up the greatest thing this city experienced (maybe ever). Interest and sales were at it the highest in the history of the franchise, but instead of building off that.... well you know the rest of the story.

3 more years with them. no cup. see you later. there is enough talent in the system to do it.

fire the owner, this team keeps losing its talented players EVERY YEAR. This team will only be medicore with this philosphy.

I'm with all of those who said Lindy's not the problem. We love him. We just need some more skilled players and to continue to motivate those who are talented to work harder. Lindy for Mayor!

I hate that the team has just become the "cool" thing and the games have become a night on the town, with seemingly less and less of a connection to the sport, and more entertainment. I'm not old, but I did grow up watching this team in the Aud, before the entertainment factor. It seems winning is no longer a priority. I don't so much blame Ruff as I do the management who has given him weak, heartless players, but it appears the community at large has embraced them, and is less concerned with how they perform on the ice. Why has accepting mediocrity become ok? I think it reflects an overall mindset in Buffalo that enjoys being comfortable and doesn't expect the best. Here in Philly, Ruff would have been fired after Tuesday's game, because losing is not acceptible. The games are played to win, not to be good guys.

no wholelotta there is not enough talent, a few skilled players that would fit nicely on a third line but no win at all cost players that will step in front of bus for the team. We are soft, passionless and void of work ethic and especially important, we are average to slightly above average in goal. Some of this can be laid on the coach, but from what I've seen the players just do not have it in them to do what is neccessary to win games night in - night out.

It is time for the Sabres to move to Hamilton where an ownership group will spend the time and money to get this team to advance to the Stanley Cup.

Darcy's career as a GM in my mind has been as successful as his career in the NHL. He was "a pro" hockey player from 1974-1984 and guess how many NHL games he played in that time?? Wait for it...26...yes, 26 games over 10 years. As a GM, he has been in charge when the Sabres drafted and developed such players as Maxim Afinogenov, Henrik Tallinder, Ales Kotalik, Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. Some winners, mostly losers.

Golisano bought the sabres for $92millon. A bargain price because of the turmoil with Rigas and Adephia. He was just looking for an investment in a distressed asset and never had and never will spend money to keep this team competitive. He is a cheap bastard.

Larry Quinn, he is just a douche. Enough said.

Ruff, move him with the team to Hamilton.

Give it Jim Balsillie, he has the desire and the money to take this team to the next level.

ENZO

At no time in the original article did Bluedevil take shots at Lindy Ruff as a human being. It seems like a large number of the comments are focused towards Lindy as a person rather than Lindy as a coach.

I think he is a great guy, who was a very good coach for his decade here, but doesn't there come a time for every team to try new things. The last few years have been less than stellar and the prospect of more of the same seems disheartening. I don't know what the problem is, but it seems to me that perhaps the coach is quite having the effect we need him to have. I don't know what it will take to get some of you to admit that this team is definitely broke, and needs fixing....and if it isn't the coach, then what exactly is it?

ENZO...why in the world would anyone support moving the team out of Buffalo. you are not making any sense, if they move then there is no team to ***** about and no chance of turning things around. moron! who cares how many years Darcy played in the NHL, he made the single greatest trade of all time...March 23, 1999 Mike Wilson to the Florida Panthers for Rhett Warrener and a 5th round draft pick which turned out to be....Ryan Miller!

Elderly,

By my math that was approximately 10 years ago that he made his best trade. If you in your job had done your best work 10 years ago, would you still have that job?

It's regier's job to put a winning product on the ice, they didn't last year, may not this year, and haven't made the playoffs in 5 of 7 years, that is failure.

Don't be confused, Miller sucks. He is no Hasek. This team would still be losing the games even if Miller was in net.

Let's revisit History: Scotty Bowman won 12 Stanley cups with every other team he coached EXCEPT buffalo. Tom Barrasso won 3 cups with Pittsburgh. Dominik Hasek won 3 Cups with Detroit. Dave Andreychuk won his Cup with Tampa Bay (WTF TAMPA BAY!!!!)
These were all long time Sabres who left Buffalo and enjoyed Major Successes. If that doesnt say alot about the organization then I dont know what does.

PS Enzo, you are right on...

Winning starts with ownership. The Bills and Sabres have garbage ownerhip. Fire Darcy. He dropped the ball. Can you fire "managing partner" Larry Quinn? Him and Hockey fit together like pepperoni and ice cream.