When it was made known that Lindy Ruff was near the top of the list of potential head coaching candidates, there were a number of fans that were upset about this news.
Yesterday, when Jim Lites all but confirmed that Ruff was going to be signed, many of those same fans turned irate.
With the news becoming official this morning, what is the general opinion like now?
Let’s put aside the “goal/no goal” argument for a minute, because his tenure in Dallas will have absolutely nothing to do with it. Most of the NHL and its fans (mistakenly) believed that the goal should not have counted. This is not some ideal that was unique to Lindy Ruff. Nor was it his campaign slogan throughout his time in Buffalo (though it was for the fans). In fact, for Dallas fans to expect the head coach of the team that lost the Stanley cup to not support his own team on one of the most controversial calls in NHL history is downright silly.
But that’s all in the past.
Stars fans shouldn’t be concerned about his opinion on a goal from 14 years ago, but rather what he can do to help the team return to the Stanley Cup Finals. From that perspective, opinions vary wildly.
Greg Wyshynski highlights both the good and the bad on the newest coach in Dallas:
Ruff and GM Darcy Regier had a similar vision with the Buffalo Sabres, and maintained it through financial and ownership challenges that would have humbled any management group. Ruff’s 571-432-162 record, eight postseason appearances, four trips to the Eastern Conference Final and one Stanley Cup Final — give’em two in injures didn’t strike down the 2006 Sabres — are an incredible accomplishment within that context
With Nill wanting an experienced coach to join the team, Lindy Ruff was the absolute best option by that standard alone. None of the other coaches have the record and history that Ruff has had in Buffalo.
However, there are some potential drawbacks as well. Wyshysnki continues:
There’s some question about whether Lindy Ruff can adapt. He’s 53 years old, and has been a head coach in the NHL since 1997. Stars fans remember the last time a veteran coach arrived in Marc Crawford, and how that ended. But that was a different team with a different aim; those Stars were a veteran team hoping the window to win was still open, and Ruff’s Stars are fiddling with the lock.
For fans who prefer to see statistical match-ups over rolling four lines as evenly as possible, this candidate is not ideal. Our own Josh Lile will soon be digging into all of the advanced stats, strategies, and faults that Ruff has employed over the last several years, and seeing exactly what those drawbacks are.
In the meantime, what do the fans think about this hire? Are you excited about getting an experienced coach who will bring accountability to the locker room in a way that Dallas hasn’t seen in years? Are you more concerned about the lack of player utilization on the ice? Or are you going to just wait and see what happens instead?
Let us know in the poll below.
How do you feel about Lindy Ruff being the next head coach of the Dallas Stars?
| Great! I think this is one of the best options out there! | 241 |
| Unsure. We’ll just have to wait and see. | 410 |
| This is a terrible hiring. He’s going to have to improve this team a ton for me to feel good about it. | 105 |
| It was a good goal, and that’s the only thing that matters, because I’m still living in the past. | 39 |