By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Lindy Ruff gave a brief wave to acknowledge the applauding crowd before turning up the tunnel in what proved to be a modest moment to celebrate his 600th career win as Buffalo Sabres coach.
Humbling as it was in becoming the NHL’s second coach to achieve the milestone with one franchise, Ruff was preoccupied with other thoughts following a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Weighing heavily on Ruff in the closing weeks of his first season in his second stint in Buffalo was the disappointment of falling well short of his objective in transforming the Sabres into winners . And the frustration of a job unfinished compelled him to already begin looking ahead to next season, with Buffalo all but assured of extending its NHL-record playoff drought to a 14th season.
“I’m a guy that from Day 1 always thinks I can fix everything. And I haven’t been able to fix everything,” Ruff said.
“This year has been a disappointment for me,” he added, specifically referring to the team’s playoff hopes unraveling during an 0-10-3 skid spanning November and December. “I feel personally responsible that there were games that were right there that could’ve turned it and got it the other way. And we didn’t get it done.”
As for the milestone, Ruff wasn’t even aware of his achievement until a team official told him as he was leaving the bench moments after the final horn, and just before the public address announcer informed the crowd.
“I really wasn’t aware of it, but obviously feels good. I mean, just to get the win tonight felt good, how hard we battled,” he said of an outing in which Buffalo overcame two one-goal deficits and won on Tage Thompson’s go-ahead goal 1:23 into the third period.
“I’ve been fortunate,” he added, listing former GMs and owners. “A lot of good people around me that have helped throughout the years, and coaches, unbelievable fan support here in this building.”
Ruff improved his Buffalo record to 600-467-90 and 78 ties, and trails only Al Arbour, who won 740 games with the New York Islanders.
The 65-year-old Ruff got his second chance to coach the Sabres in April after Don Granato was fired following three-plus seasons. In being rehired after head-coaching stops in Dallas and New Jersey, Ruff became the Sabres seventh coach since he was fired two months into the labor-dispute-shortened 2014 season.
In 2011, he was Buffalo’s last to coach lead the team to the playoffs. Ruff’s first term in Buffalo lasted 14-plus-season, during which was the NHL’s coach of the year in 2006. Under his watch, the Sabres lost the Stanley Cup Final in six games to Dallas in 1999, and lost in the Eastern Conference finals to Carolina and Ottawa in 2006 and ’07.
Ruff’s ties to Buffalo date to his playing days in the 1980s, when he spent nine of his fist 12 NHL seasons with the Sabres, including a three-year term as captain.
Overall, Ruff’s 1,844 games coached rank third on the NHL list. He ranks fifth with 893 career victories and second with 714 losses.
What encourages him is how the Sabres have responded of late.
Though still sitting last in the Eastern Conference standings, Buffalo has won two straight following an 5-3 win over West-leading Winnipeg on Sunday, and is 5-3 in its past eight outings.
“The way we’re playing now, these last 40 games is conducive to winning,” Ruff said.
He likened his desire to fix things to tinkering with his car and being a handyman around the house.
“I can honestly say it drives my wife crazy, when she thinks I can fix everything,” Ruff said with a laugh. “I’ve had to call a few electricians over time.”
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