Ruff | Buffalo Hockey Beat

Devils hire former Amerks coach Chris Taylor as assistant

The New Jersey Devils have hired former Rochester Americans head coach Chris Taylor as an assistant on Lindy Ruff’s staff, the team announced today.

Taylor played for Ruff over parts of four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Ruff, who was hired by New Jersey on July 9, also added Dave Rogalski as goalie coach to complete his staff.

Ruff named Mark Recchi and Alain Nasreddine his first assistants in September.

New Buffalo general manager Kevyn ... Read the full article

Disconnect with Pegulas costs Jason Botterill job as Sabres GM

If the NHL could’ve held its draft as scheduled next week, Jason Botterill would likely still be employed as the Buffalo Sabres’ general manager. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to postpone the annual event until the fall.

The extra time gave Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula an opportunity to discuss and plan the team’s future – “Really start digging in,” Kim Pegula said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss Botterill’s firing ... Read the full article

Sabres at 50: Pierre Turgeon could be Buffalo’s next Hall of Famer

BUFFALO – The gaudy numbers former Sabres star Pierre Turgeon racked up during his prolific NHL career could land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame someday.

A strong argument can be made Turgeon, who retired in 2007, ranks among the best candidates still waiting for the call.

“I hear about it, a lot of people are talking,” Turgeon said of the Hall of Fame.

In 1,294 games over 19 seasons, Turgeon scored a whopping ... Read the full article

Former Sabre Uwe Krupp loved starting career in Buffalo: ‘It was a special time’

BUFFALO – Their relationship started in 1986. Uwe Krupp was a teenager who had just joined the West Germans for the World Championship in Moscow. Ralph Krueger was the team’s veteran star.

“I was a really young player on a very experienced German team,” said Krupp, a 6-foot-6 defenseman who played 327 games with the Sabres in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “Ralph was one of the older players. There wasn’t so much talking ... Read the full article

Former Sabre Jochen Hecht enjoying life as scout in Germany

BUFFALO – After Jochen Hecht retired from the DEL in 2016, the former Sabres forward spent two seasons coaching with his hometown team, Adler Mannheim.

One of his players, defenseman Mark Stuart, played 673 NHL games over 12 seasons.

Hecht knew him well.

On Nov. 7, 2009, Hecht fought for the fifth and final time in his NHL career against, of all opponents, Stuart, according to hockeyfights.com.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ralph Krueger, Canadiens’ Claude Julien share mutual respect

BUFFALO – Six years ago, Ralph Krueger’s job as a consultant for Team Canada’s Olympic entry at the Sochi Games offered the Sabres coach a chance to discuss hockey with some the game’s greatest minds.

Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock, Claude Julien and former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff all served on Canada’s coaching staff.

“It was the best hockey coaching symposium you could go through with that group because of the way everybody exchanged everything,” Krueger ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Mike Ramsey enjoying life away from hockey

BUFFALO – Former Sabres captain Mike Ramsey usually offers the same answer when someone asks him what he’s up to these days.

“I tell people I’m writing a book, because everybody wants to know what I’m doing,” Ramsey said during Saturday’s Sabres Fan Fest at KeyBank Center, an event that celebrated the team’s 50th anniversary season. “‘What do you do with your time? I’m writing a book.’ And it stops them right away.”

So, what’s ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres to name Ralph Krueger next coach

When Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill fired Phil Housley five weeks ago, he started pursuing experienced coaching candidates.

The Sabres struggled for two seasons under Housley, a first-time head coach, so not surprisingly, Botterill wanted a veteran to lead his team.

As expected, plenty of familiar names – Jacques Martin and Dave Tippett, for example – materialized as candidates.

Then in the last week, an intriguing name began popping up: Ralph Krueger, who coached ... Read the full article

Sabres’ inability to find coaching stability has contributed to demise

BUFFALO – In less than five seasons with the Sabres, defenseman Zach Bogosian has already played for three coaches.

“Three coaches in this amount of years, you’ve got to really take a long, hard look (at yourself),” Bogosian said Monday, a day after the Sabres fired Phil Housley following an awful second half.

Not long ago, the Sabres were a model of coaching stability. Lindy Ruff lasted through three ownership regimes over 16 years. When ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Evan Rodrigues grew under Rangers’ David Quinn

BUFFALO – Sabres center Evan Rodrigues figured David Quinn would stay put at Boston University until the coach guided the Terriers to a national championship.

Quinn’s success at the NCAA level, of course, generated plenty of interest from the NHL. Still, Rodrigues, whose dynamic exploits nearly helped BU win a title in 2015, enjoys a close relationship with Quinn.

“You can always go into his office and talk about anything to him,” Rodrigues said prior ... Read the full article