Bucky's thoughts on 'new' Lindy

Here is an excerpt from Bucky Gleason's column today about Lindy Ruff:

Just before the season, Lindy Ruff pulled his leaders aside and told them they needed to take over the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room. He made it clear that he was finished barking after every poor performance. This was their team, he told them, and taking ownership was their responsibility.

It was as if Ruff recognized that his style had grown stale, that he knew adjustments were required if his team was going to go anywhere. He has said numerous times this season that the Sabres' core is no longer a bunch of kids. They're pros who know what's needed to win and should be treated accordingly.

Ruff hasn't undergone a total makeover, but the shift in his approach has been obvious all year.

Of course, it's easy to take a lighter approach when everything is going well. The Sabres had a great start to the season, but they were dreadful in losses to the Flyers and Bruins over the weekend. It was their first true test, and they failed.

You know what they received for their listless efforts? The day off Sunday and time to sleep in today.

In past years, his players would have begged for a punishing skate rather than endure Ruff's torturous video reviews. He was notorious for tearing down his players in meetings in an effort to drill his message into their heads.

His style works for young players, but it can become tiresome and suffocating for veterans who have been around for several years. After a while, they become bored with the messenger and stop listening to the message.

Ruff is the longest-tenured coach in the league. You don't spend that much time in one place without alienating a few players along the way. Ruff is both a good coach and the right coach for Buffalo. Funny, but staying here has actually forced him to become a better coach.

Comments

[shamus7]

Haven't we seen this before!When will we learn.This management is content with 500 hockey

[Dennis M]

Ken E....i agree completely you have quite possibly the most sane and level headed response...just thought kudos were in order. nice to see there are "smart" fans out there still...lol

[Greg B.]

Follows, you're right, who's going to take the stupid penalties on this club now that Mair's gone? This move is to make room for McCormick. They need someone who will go looking for a fight and hold his own when he finds one. Rivet, Gaustad and Montador are all contributing players to this team and shouldn't be expected to consistently go to the box for 5. McCormick can play a regular 4th line shift and throw the mitts. He's better suited for that role than Mair.

[Follows]

It makes sense to get rid of Mair, he actually hits once in a while and fights occasionally, we all know how Darcy hates the rough stuff...

[donjoe]

After a fast start last year, this team went into a prolonged dry spell, getting only 6 points in the next 12 games. That's reason enough to push the panic button. Opponents have figured out how to stop this club. Either Ruff's game strategy is faulty or Reiger's talent level is wanting. Could be both.

[realNFLfan]

I don't fault Ruff for trying new methods to relate to this team. I don't think the front office has done right by him over the last couple of years in terms of addressing the weaknesses of this roster in a timely fashion. They tend to fall in love with too many of their players. That being said, Ruff has to make due with what he has been given. I don't think this is a serious Cup contending roster by any stretch, but it is a roster that needs to be handled in a much different way that in the past. I hope that Ruff's new style works out.

[roy]

a better coach? A BETTER COACH? AAUUUGGGGGGHHHHH! style? what style? ugly ties? alienating a FEW players? how about EVERY young player in 10 years? prediction of the year: ruff will have myers sitting at some point.

[Jeff]

I'm a bit surprised. Mair has always been a Ruff favorite. You'd also think the team would want to keep at least 1 extra forward around. Maybe Mair asked to be waived? There's gotta be a second move coming, I'm very curious what it is....probably just calling up someone like McCormick, but maybe something bigger. Gerbe or Ennis could shake things up a bit.

[RobC]

Anyone know if they really waived Mair?

http://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/5563862165

[Greg B.]

Per TSN, Adam Mair has been waived.

[hit'm with ur purse]

Sabres = Marcy Regier lite....pansies, like him...how much does Vanek make? Why?

[CalgarySabre2]

1) Tuukka Rask may be Boston's "back up", Dude, but he is a world class goalie. His performance at the World Juniors in Vancouver was amazing. That is why Toronto drafted him first overall. (And whatever we say about Darcy, at least he did not trade Rask for Andrew Raycroft!!!). 2) Enroth faced 37 shots and made 33 saves. He had no chance on the first goal, for sure. If Miller had been in net, he might, just might, have stolen that game, but you cannot hang the loss on Enroth and I expect it would have been worse with Lalime in net. 3) Ready for the vists from the Alberta teams this week? It means I get to see them on local (i.e pro Alberta bias) tv.

[Ken E]

I don't get all the negativity for a team that's 9-4-1 and in first place? Yea, they threw in a couple of stinkers last week but so what? Shouldn't we wait until Christmas, or at least Thanksgiving before we throw in the towel on the season?

We can't beat "elite" teams? No one said was saying that last month when they mauled Detroit AND New Jersey and those are two teams that everyone always points to as the "model" franchises.

Calm down, guys. Relax. Every team is going to have bad games, and even bad stretches of 3, 4, or even 5 games in a row over a long season. Are we going to throw up our hands and say "that's it! They suck!" after every loss?

Man. Talk about fair weather fans. And before anyone starts in, yes.....I get it. I've been a fan since 1980. I've lived through all the years of disappointments and frustrations with the Sabres, and of course the Bills and I'm as jaded as any Buffalo fan out there but man o man....CALM DOWN!

[Dude]

Philly has a big team with alot of speed. Buffalo showed on Friday they aren't playing in the same league as the Flyers.

Boston was ripe for picking with all their injuries but they showed Buffalo they could all pick it up and compete even with the injuries and their backup goalie in net.

So far, the Sabres look like a team good enough to beat the bottom feeders but not good enough to play the elite teams. They will be battling for 8th again without a major move being made IMO.

[Tim]

I don't think we could have beat Philly or Boston with Biron in net. It might have changed the score a little bit but we still would have been outplayed and outscored.

[floydboyz]

" It was as if Ruff recognized that his style had grown stale, that he knew adjustments were required if his team was going to go anywhere. " It took Ruff the last 2 years to come to that conclusion?
Stale is going too easy on himself,to put it mildly.

[Jwolfe]

Three problems with this team. #1 - The tough guys won't step in and instigate a fight when a spark is needed. #2 - The non-tough guys won't play hard in a physical game. #3 - The coach has created an atmosphere where it's OK to be soft.

[Bill]

They're still 9-2-1 with Miller and net, and 0-2-0 without him. We can talk about lack of accountability, softness, etc., but those characteristics all distract from the real problem: they can't win when Miller isn't playing. Get a real backup goaltender like Biron and watch how quickly those other topics are dropped.

[TJ]

I don't see how Ruff easing up on underperforming players is going to improve things - players like Pominville, Vanek, Connolly and Roy should be leading this team yet none of the four appear to have enough character to take accountability seriously. How often do we see a Vanek interview where he bashes himself and says he needs to play better, only to watch his lackadaisical play in subsequent games?

I have no doubt that Miller, Rivet and Grier speak up enough but I still don't see a change in the team from that of the past 2 years. It's a broken record but things are nowhere where they were when Briere and Drury held the lockerroom together.

[dwight in philly]

i agree with bucky most of the time .the exception is when he continously backs ruff. ruff has been on the job way too long, any other place, he is long gone. the bills get beaten up (rightfully so) on their choice(s)of coaches. it seems ruff is immune from the criticism. what sealed the deal in my eyes is when he came out in training camp and said he "liked the team as is". that spoke volumes. most ruff apologists blame regier for not getting ruff the talent. "lindy coaches what he has" is the common refrain. well, that rings hollow now. either he must be lying, or he will not stand up to mgmt, which is it?.. i have had enough of him.

[pgr88]

His players have started to look like they did last year - too soft. Easily taken off the puck by opponents, unwilling to take a hit, still looking for the finesse play.