Subj : Devils Hire Ruff as Head Coach
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers
Date : Thu Jul 09 2020 04:40 am
The New Jersey Devils have hired Lindy Ruff as their new head coach, as per
NHL.com';s Kevin Weekes.
**Breaking News**
As per what I'm told ; @NJDevils to name Lindy Ruff as their new Head Coach.
Also expected to remove the interim tag from GM Tom Fitzgerald.@NHL
@NHLNetwork- Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) July 8, 2020
Ruff, 60, has served as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers since the
2017-18 season. He will cross the Hudson River to take on his first head
coaching gig since 2017.
Ruff will bring 1493 games of NHL head coaching experience - amassed over 15
seasons with the Buffalo Sabres between 1997 and 2013 and four seasons the
Dallas Stars between 2013 and 2017 - to the Devils'; bench. As a head coach, he
owns a 736-554-78-125 record, ranks fourth among head coaches in NHL history
in regular season games coached and fifth among head coaches in NHL history in
regular season wins.
Lindy Ruff brings nearly 1,500 games of NHL head coaching experience to the
Devils. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
He will replace interim head coach Alain Nasreddine, who took over from John
Hynes last December when Hynes was fired after his Metropolitan Division team
got off to a 9-13-4 start. The Devils ultimately finished 28-29-12 prior to the
COVID-19 season pause and will not participate in the NHL';s 24-team playoffs
beginning in August.
Prior to his coaching career, the Alberta-born Ruff played 691 career NHL games
over parts of 12 seasons for the Sabres and Rangers, recording 105 goals and
195 assists for 300 points.
Fitzgerald Set to Become Permanent Devils General Manager
Weekes also reported the Devils are expected to remove the "interim" tag from
GM Tom Fitzgerald.
Tom Fitzgerald will have his interim tag removed. (Jess Starr/The Hockey
Writers)
Fitzgerald began with the Devils as assistant GM in 2015 and was named interim
GM in January after Ray Shero was fired. Prior to his career with the Devils,
he spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as director of player
development and assistant GM, winning the Stanley Cup in 2009 as the former.
Related: Devils Rollercoaster Season Continues With Shero Firing
Fitzgerald, 51, played 1097 NHL games between 1988 and 2006 with the New York
Islanders, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, Chicago
Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins.
Fitzgerald holds the seventh-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Check
out THW';s 2020 NHL Draft Guide for in-depth draft coverage on all 31 teams,
including the Devils.
The post Devils Hire Ruff as Head Coach appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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