After leading the Buffalo Sabres from worst to first, and then into their first National Hockey League postseason run since 2011, head coach Lindy Ruff is sticking around for a while longer.
The Sabres announced Wednesday they had signed Ruff to a two-year contract extension, through the 2027-28 season.
He is the Buffalo hockey franchise’s winningest coach and is currently a finalist for the NHL’s Jack Adams Award, given to the league’s coach of the year. He previously won the award while coaching the Sabres in the 2005-06 season, and was nominated three other times with three different teams, Buffalo, Dallas and New Jersey.
He began his lengthy relationship with the Sabres as a player, selected by the team in the second round of the NHL draft. His ten years playing for the Sabres included some time as a captain. He later played three seasons with the New York Rangers.
Ruff then returned to Buffalo as a coach in 1997, and remained with the Sabres until the 2012-13 season. He was rehired by the organization in 2024.