Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Rejuvenated from a day off the ice, the Buffalo Sabres and head coach Lindy Ruff got back to work at First Niagara Center with a bit of a different tone.
Not willing to put the downfalls of the team through 14 games on the players any longer, Ruff instead pointed the finger at himself for how to turn things around this season.
"We'll find it. There's guys. We've gone through it. We knew we were a little young down the middle, but it'll come. I'm confident it'll come," Ruff said after Thursday's practice. "It's all on me to clean this mess up. I'm not done trying."
The Sabres have dropped nine of their last twelve contests and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with only 11 points total. Despite quite a losing streak, Buffalo is only three points out of the playoff picture.
Attempting to look ahead to a three-game home stand, Ruff ran his players through one of their hardest practices of the season -- partially due to not having a break in the schedule like this one until now.
"I think the attitude of the players has been awesome. The attitude today out on the ice has been great," the head coach said. "I liked the energy. We got to work on three or four things that you don't normally. We did a lot of battle drills, a lot of offensive zone stuff to get people in better spots."
Now it's all about translating that mentality in to the games. Once again, Ruff put the onus on himself for making sure his team is mentally prepared.
"The team will feed off my energy," he said. "I came in here, we had a couple of good meetings. We talked about things we gotta get going a little bit better, talked about getting the team in the right mood today. And that's up to me."
The Sabres take on the Boston Bruins at First Niagara Center on Friday. You can hear the complete play-by-play coverage on WGR Sports Radio 550.
Sabres' Ruff: "It's all on me to clean this mess up"
Please enter your comments below.
02/14/2013 2:14PM
Mr. Ruff - Clean up your mess
LR has been here a long time, so any mess is his own mess, and yeah, you better clean this up, or get out of town and let somebody else do it for you.
02/14/2013 2:22PM
Your Lost Lindy
Organization filled with excuses. Management always have an excuse which trickles down to players. Time to go Lindy
02/14/2013 2:23PM
Fire Himself?
He should execute what his bungling arrogant GM wont do - Fire himself.
02/14/2013 2:40PM
The last act of a desperate man.........
The martyr role. How low can a man go. The right thing is to step down before this ship totally sinks and is unsalvageable. But this is Captain Ruff, a man that won't abandon his ship or ego.
02/14/2013 2:41PM
Responsibility should be on someone else
Ruff has had more than enough chances over 15.5 years to clean up the problems. No one can clean up the problem when they are the main problem or part of the main problem. A new coach is needed to right this ship. Ruff can turn around nothing.
02/14/2013 3:00PM
It's all on me!
I know things will get better. Ruff's words. The sorry thing about it is that Pegula and Regier will believe him
02/14/2013 3:23PM
Ruff sucks
TIME FOR A CHANGE! ITS BEEN TIME FOR 5 YEARS!
02/14/2013 3:23PM
Taking Ownership
For years he's taken ownership of poor performance. how about actually holding him accountable for the lack of performance. he's lost this team, did a long time ago. Let's give Lindy an extension too.
02/14/2013 3:47PM
HAHA!
Poor Sabres fans! No hope with this guy!
02/14/2013 4:01PM
THEN DO IT!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
02/14/2013 4:04PM
Ruff ? Fix Something ?
As I see it , it all comes down to Ruff and his coaching , or lack of it . The owner would rather trade away the Sabres up and coming , instead deal with the real problem , Ruff . 14 years in the head coach , and only 6 times in the playoff , with only 3times that they went farther than the first round , and they would pack away the players ? If Ruff REALLY wanted to " fix " the problem , he would quit .
02/14/2013 4:20PM
FIRE RUFF NOW!!! PLEASE.
Ask yourself: "What has ALWAYS been the consistently missing element in ALL of Ruff's teams????"
CHARACTER- the WILL TO WIN. His teams have ALWAYS been quite the opposite- "an EASY out".
That's ALL COACHING!
RUFF MUST GO NOW!! Please.
02/14/2013 4:22PM
what
who cares
02/14/2013 4:43PM
LOL
The best hockey fans in sport, sellouts every game, top TV rating of all 32 teams and what do we get you say? We get heartbreak, we get below average and that is fine for ownership as long as marketing genius in Ted Black sells hope to the fans of Buffalo. This team is broken and has been for years, how many players go elsewhere and speak poorly about Ruff on their way out and yet he resides behind the bench to this day. WNY knows, or should know, that his tenure has run its course and change is needed yesterday. Sadly people will say we need a trade which is the furthest thing from the truth as the cast of players has changed over the years yet the result is always the same.. failure. Terry Pegula you are insulting the fans of Buffalo by letting another year slip away, we are in the cellar yet again.. And what are this years excuses? Injuries Schedule? Stop selling hope and make the change, and take Darcy with you... I challenge anybody reading this to give me three good moves Darcy has made in the last 6 years besides drafting players.. Hint? None. Most signings we overpayed, most trades were even or complete flop, Free agency Ehrhoff, Lieno, Regehr, Leopold? fail!... But hey, its Buffalo, and if history is an indicator its okay to fail as long you have a good excuse..
02/14/2013 4:45PM
old adage
If you always do what you always did; you'll always get what you always got....
02/14/2013 5:07PM
Bowing out Gracefully
We don't hate Lindy or Darcy because they are "bad" at their jobs. It's because their time has come and gone and they fail to acknowledge it. Even MacArthur got canned.
02/14/2013 5:42PM
Different
players & owners = same results
02/14/2013 6:06PM
Great Attitude
Rest With a great attitude will do wonders for this team!
Give Lindy Credit he is one of the most non complaining resiliant coaches in the game and takes responsibilty like a man and alway treats the media like gentleman!!
02/14/2013 6:24PM
Sabres' Ruff: "It's all on me to clean this mess up"
Start with Darcy finish with Ruff and it will be clean as a whistle.
02/14/2013 6:50PM
What a joke
It's amazing this bum is still the coach. No help from the fans not chanting his ouster at the games. You could hear a pin drop at FNC. Oh, so dead. It's time to wake up fans and start the cat calls. Do it live on NBC Sunday when the Pens blow the Sabres out of their own building.
02/14/2013 7:15PM
The mess to clean up is YOU
If you resign, then 101% of the mess will be clean.
02/14/2013 7:37PM
Clean this train wreck?
The first step is for Ruff to hand in his resignation.
02/14/2013 8:11PM
d-fence
we need to work on defence
02/14/2013 9:25PM
wake up buffalo
15 years who does that wake up buffalo get rid of ruff
02/14/2013 10:24PM
Go away already.
Lindy-
You may not read the headlines but for heavan sake please know you're not wanted here anymore. The owner has no backbone so why don't you man up and skip town already!
02/14/2013 11:43PM
if i had to choose
Its Regier that should be shown the door. Lindy at least assumes responsibility. His boss is a blowhard, always has an excuse but it is never about how he has made mistakes. The amazing thing is it's not like Darcy didnt get the resources before Superfan became the Owner. He just spent the money on the wrong players, and still is.(Stafford, Leino and Leopold come to mind).
02/15/2013 7:59AM
no title
firing the coach while giving the mastermind GM a chance to name the next yesman behind the bench is fruitless...
02/15/2013 8:14AM
The buck stops with the Pegulla
Generally, owners of companies push for success in ALL facets of their business but apparently not in the case of the Buffalo Sabres. Terry Pegulla demonstrates he's just a fan and he is just watching from the stands. He makes statements referring to the commitment he has for winning the Cup yet his weakness spreads throughout the organization like cancer. Other owners must be sitting back and laughing their butts off watching him and his management style. He should have bought a corner deli. That fits his personality and drive much better. "Pegulla Stop and Shop".....think about it Terry. You'd probably succeed at that.
02/15/2013 8:27AM
Players Attitude is what?!
A 'great attitude' would be not accepting the half a**ed effrort night in and night out. The last 4 years we heard teh excuse " we got out of our 'system' as if 4 years to learn was not enought time to master teh game teyve played for 10-20 years. This year it's..."We need to play a full 60 minutes." Your supposed to be professional athletes fo rcrying out loud...going an entire game with maximum effort is the minimum expecatation....not the long term goal!
02/15/2013 8:44AM
No More Impact
It's obvious Ruff does not have any more impact on his players. They came out of the gate playing, but that was as long as it lasted. His system is flawed and His impact is non-existent. It's time for both to go. Bring a new era GM and coach that is truly devoted to a team that is to be feared not laughed and disrespected throughout the league.
02/15/2013 8:46AM
Great Attitude...really?
This is the 3rd straight year that the team, with basically the same Coach and players on the roster (maybe 2 in, and 2 out each year), have come out of the gate as if they just met on the plane before the first game! How can it NOT be the Coach's fault? Three years in a row that they have been so darn awful to start a season. How can they not be ready to play.... until half a seaosn is gone? The Coach is the same, the blasted, boring "system" hasn't changed, the players haven't changed and the result hasn't changed!!We find ourselves in last place until that 'late season push'...which falls short....and that is 'acceptable' and shows a 'great attitude' to the Owner?!! How can you win a Stanley Cup if you can't even make the playoffs....in a league where 3/4 of the teams make the playoffs!!!! This is Hockey Insanity not Hockey Heaven.
I reiterate...The Buffalo Sabres have an Upper Management Injury that will not heal because the GM and HC have "Jobs for Life"... THAT is The Buffalo Sabres Ownership's idea of a Great Attitude.....
02/15/2013 8:50AM
Clean this mess is Darcy's job
Get rid of Sekera, Ennis, Stafford by trade, and waive Gerbe like you did Ellis. Get O'Reilly out of Colorado and call up Tarnasky and McNab or Pardy. DO IT!!!
02/15/2013 8:55AM
Sad Fans
To say Lindy is not wanted here anymore and should skip town already is so pathetic. The man bleeds Buffalo Blue and Gold, just like you all do. It is one thing to say that he needs a change of scenery but understand that the man makes his home here. You people make me sick with how mean and cruel you can be to one of our own. Like him or not, treat the man with some respect as your lobby for him to be fired.
02/15/2013 8:56AM
Obama
Ahh yes, the morons who voted for Obama because YES WE CAN are now voting for Lindy to be outed because CHANGE FOR CHANGES SAKE! When it comes to systems, Obama has the worst. Keep Lindycare, down with Obamacare.
02/15/2013 9:44AM
Brad Boyes watch
4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points with the Islanders so far. There was nothing wrong with that guy. I'm convinced it was Lindy and his system that kept him off the score sheet. FIRE REGEIR AND RUFF!!! Pathetic!
02/15/2013 9:56AM
Keep on losing...change will come
Any win blows that off. Please keep losing. I WANT CHANGE.
02/15/2013 10:00AM
Wasn't 'this' on you last year too?
Since when HASN'T this all been on you you low-wattage bulb? Just because Lindy Ruff will NEVER be fired doesn't meant that he shouldn't be! And for the fans who keep trying to deflect everything (or many things) to Regier, keep in mind that NOBODY is forcing Lindy Ruff to play Nathan Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, Drew Stafford, Andre Sekera, Jordon Leopold, Alec Selzer, Grigorenko, Ellis, Kaleta, or Enroth. The players playing are all the players LINDY RUFF wants on the ice! Stop trying to assign Darcy Regier as being responsible for the disaster that each season is. Yes, blame Regier for bad trades, bad drafting and generally being useless in managing the team, but the coach is equally lousy at game decisions and line combinations.
02/15/2013 10:04AM
Why Bother!!
Ruff is not going any where. Once again Buffalo is a national joke at one of the pro sports. First football and now Hockey. From the looks of things we will have to finish last in NHL to have a thought about Ruff being gone. Throw the towel inn. New owner but same old Sabres and their antics!!
02/15/2013 11:40AM
Almost There
As sad as it is for me to say this but Joe's right, we are only 3 points from the 8th seed. A nice little win streak in a week or so would not only push the team in the mix but it would excite the fans once again about the playoffs.
02/15/2013 12:50PM
time for a change
There are very few coaches who could win with this group of players. Do Lindy a favor and send him on his way.
02/15/2013 1:12PM
Resign you idiot
You can't fix this mess you created. It'll be an ugly weekend.
02/15/2013 3:22PM
To quote Bill Polian
"Get outta town" Lindy! Your expiration date long passed and your tired whining and ridiculous nepotism factors (Play Hecht, Ellis, Connolly (when here), Stafford and Sekera no matter what)are killing this team. All while your best player, Thomas Vanek gets constantly thrown under the bus by you when and if he misses a pass or stickhandles to much. Such garbage. Hows Hecht's season going so far? Boy hes good isnt he? Such leadership and goal scoring ability. And lets move on to Stafford why dont we. How many goals does he have? God forbid he should be benched. Im sure youre heartbroken that your favorite lunchbox worker Bee Ellis had to be waived and then sent to Roch. Your message is stale, worn out and as worthless as the Buffalo News editorial page and all the lies the Leftists in NYS have been telling for years...business as usualy folks and Terry Pegula loves the continuity.
02/15/2013 3:48PM
d-fence
Ahhh...you need to work on your spelling!
02/15/2013 6:45PM
Time to go
They have completely lost me until R & R are gone. Lindy takes the blame for the lack of effort and passion on the ice. Darcy takes it for not having adequate NHL centers and too many D on the roster.
02/15/2013 8:06PM
Big whoop
who cares what he says anymore/
02/16/2013 7:15PM
Re: Almost There
PLAYOFFS??? This team is three players away to even think that. There is UNFINISHED BUSINESS and Darcy ain't doing a dam thing about it.
02/17/2013 6:50PM
RE: ALMOST THERE!!!
YES INDEED!! SPRING IS NEAR... FORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREE!!!!
02/18/2013 10:15PM
Sad fans
Yeah, we are sad, because our team has sucked for years under ruff and it's time for a change. And lets not play the harp too much for poor lindy, he's been made a pretty wealthy man over the past decade for producing pretty much nothing. It certainly isn't personal, if this team was winning and/or lindy had even a single cup, you wouldn't be hearing so many people calling for him to be fired. But the reality is we've missed the playoffs in 3 of the past five years in a league where half the teams make the playoffs, and we're off to yet another miserable start to a season like last year, and our supposed defensive guru coach has us dead last in goals against, while he tries to blame 'young' centers. The real problem is his lousy system, that plays soft, stick checking defense that turtles for most of the game which is why most of the game is played on our end of the ice. The only time ruff has really had success is the couple of years after the lockout when he abandoned his 'system' and let his skill players play offensive hockey. The bottom line is, ruff has not produced, and he has not produced for an extraordinary long period of time, so it is long past time for him to go.
E-Mail
Print
