After 14 full seasons, and 17 games into his 15th season (5,693 days, to be exact) as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, Lindy Ruff has been fired.
Darcy Regier announced this afternoon that Lindy Ruff has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. More to follow.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 20, 2013
Ruff, who has coached 1,165 NHL games with the Sabres, leaves with a career record of 571-432-78-84 (W-L-T-OTL).
Ruff’s 1,165 games coached and 571 career wins are a franchise record.
It is currently unsure who will coach the team at this point, but as soon as we have updates, they will be listed below.
This is a fluid situation, so be sure to stay connected to Sabres Hockey Central and our Facebook as well.
Updates:
4:10 PM
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports Rochester Americans coach Ron Rolston is the “possible and perhaps likely replacement in Buffalo.”
4:17 PM
Josh Rimer reports Sabres will promote assistant coach James Patrick to interim head coach at 5 PM press conference.
4:18 PM
RDS reporter Renaud Lavoie states that the Sabres have not contacted Quebec Ramparts coach Patrick Roy regarding the vacant head coach position.
4:36 PM
13WHAM has reported that Amerks coach Ron Rolston has left Rochester to head to Buffalo, to reportedly be named interim Sabres head coach.
4:47 PM
13WHAM Sports Director confirms that Ron Rolston will indeed be the interim head coach of the Sabres.
5:08 PM
Press conference scheduled for 5 PM has yet to begin.
5:19 PM
Press conference begins.
5:20 PM
Darcy Regier confirms that Rochester Americans head coach Ron Rolston will be interim head coach.
5:21 PM
Rolston will be interim head coach through the rest of the season. Assistant coaches will be discussed.
5:25 PM
Last game (vs. Winnipeg) was a tipping point. Searching for answers to too many questions, says Darcy Regier.
5:26 PM
“Tough day, but ultimately it was my decision to fire Lindy.” – Regier
5:27 PM
Jason Pominville tells Chris Johnston of Rogers Sportsnet that the Sabres players were addressed earlier, before their bus trip to Toronto, Ruff had been fired.
5:29 PM
“I never thought this day would come.” – Jason Pominville
5:30 PM
When asked if Ruff was the problem, Darcy Regier said “I’m a part of it. The players are a part of it, everyone here feels responsible.”
5:30 PM
Ruff addressed team personally before they left for Toronto.
5:31 PM
Kevin Porter called up from the Americans, as per Darcy. Rolston now has his captain.
5:34 PM
Regier begins to choke up when asked to reflect on the legacy of Lindy Ruff.
5:35 PM
Regier says, “Lindy is like Al Arbour with a sense of humor.”
5:36 PM
Press conference has concluded.
5:41 PM
Ryan Miller says the Sabres have “lost their edge,” and “you’ve got to try something, right?”
5:57 PM
Here is the official statement from Sabres Owner Terry Pegula regarding the firing of Lindy Ruff.
“The hockey world knows how I and the entire Buffalo Sabres organization feel about Lindy Ruff not only as a coach but also as a person. His long tenure with the Sabres has ended. His qualities have made this decision very difficult. I personally want Lindy to know that he can consider me a friend always.”
6:03 PM
When asked about Ruff’s firing, Thomas Vanek said, “He’s a top free agent out there right now and any organization that’s going to get him is going to get a great coach.”