Buffalo Sabres’ head coach Lindy Ruff is a finalist for the 2025-26 Jack Adams Award. As a five-time finalist, he has contributed to many teams’ success. The Sabres account for most of those nominations and remain the clearest example of his influence.
Ruff has a history with various NHL teams, notably Buffalo. He coached the Sabres from 1997 to 2013 and again from 2024 to the present. It was during his first tenure with the Buffalo that they made the playoffs eight times. Due to their first appearance and how long it had been, Ruff was recognized as one of the league’s top coaches.
Additionally, he set a Sabres record in 1998-99 for the most wins in one playoff year, with 14 wins. In 2006, the head coach was nominated for the Jack Adams Award. Ruff also takes the lead for most wins and coached games in the playoffs, having coached 94 games and won 54 games.
For all the Sabres’ success, problems slowly emerged. The team relied on their goalies way too much. Offensive power existed, but it didn’t have leverage.
At the end of Ruff’s first tenure, Buffalo became exhausted and inconsistent. Ruff became the scapegoat and was fired in 2013. Those early problematic signs became stepping stones to the start of the Sabres’ playoff drought.
Ruff eventually came around to the Buffalo and was hired once again in April 2024. This time around, he took a Sabres team in a 14-season-long playoff drought. That came to an end during his second tenure and was the most important thing Ruff did for the team.
Ruff used the good Buffalo already had, but also shook things up with the lineups. When he spoke to the media, it was clear that he had a plan, even if he didn’t disclose it; that’s where his action came in. Ruff consistently recalled from the Amerks, the Sabres’ farm team. This added unique elements to the team and enhanced the good pieces Buffalo already had before dealing with injuries.
Toward the end of the 2025-26 regular season, Ruff started letting the Sabres play hockey. He also put faith in his goalies and continued to do so in the playoffs. When it came to losing a game, he never placed blame on one player, and it became clear that Buffalo moved as a unit.
There is a lot to compare from both tenures Ruff coached the Sabres. In his initial reign, he coached a team in the middle of its golden age. Now, Ruff faced the grueling task of taking that same team out of their pit of despair.
Not only that, in his first tenure, there were early signs that led to Buffalo’s start of their playoff drought. They were relying too heavily on their goalies in the 1998-98 season. That situation and Ruff being the coach at the time can prevent that from happening now, especially with the Sabres in the playoffs. Ruff can prevent history from repeating itself because he has seen the beginning of it.
In 2006, Ruff was nominated for the Jack Adams Award and won. He was later nominated again during the 2025-26 season. What he’s contributed to the team on both occasions, including a playoff push, says a lot about why he deserves the Jack Adams Award.
Ruff played for Buffalo for 10 seasons and coached for 17. Putting his history with the Sabres aside, he brought Buffalo out of a 14-season-long playoff drought. They were considered to be a hopeless case with the longest playoff drought in the history of the NHL.
The Sabres had many coaches, but no one scratched the surface of clinching a playoff spot until now. The team aimed for this, but their approach was just the start and needed a boost. Ruff came in with gravitas, and fans had a bias because of his history with the organization. Ruff came in knowing about Buffalo’s playoff drought, and through his actions, he was able to help the Sabres clinch the playoffs.
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