Gleason: Ruff goes soft to keep team playing hard
Just before the season, Lindy Ruff pulled his leaders aside and told them they needed to take over the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room. He made it clear that he was finished barking after every poor performance. This was their team, he told them, and taking ownership was their responsibility.
It was as if Ruff recognized that his style had grown stale, that he knew adjustments were required if his team was going to go anywhere. He has said numerous times this season that the Sabres' core is no longer a bunch of kids. They're pros who know what's needed to win and should be treated accordingly.
Ruff hasn't undergone a total makeover, but the shift in his approach has been obvious all year. The little things don't seem to bother him as much as they did in past seasons. He's been quick to compliment his players in practice. He's giving them more leeway rather than stand over them with a firm hand.
What caused the change isn't clear. Ruff spoke earlier in the season about a parenting book that outlined the effects of positive reinforcement. Maybe he has a different outlook with his 50th birthday approaching in two months. Perhaps he learned a few things coaching at the world championships or spending time with Red Wings boss Mike Babcock, his partner on the Canadian Olympic team.
Of course, it's easy to take a lighter approach when everything is going well. The Sabres had a great start to the season, but they were dreadful in losses to the Flyers and Bruins over the weekend. It was their first true test, and they failed.
You know what they received for their listless efforts? The day off Sunday and time to sleep in today.
"The old me might have went irate and done something a little bit stranger," Ruff said after the Sabres lost to the Bruins, 4-2. "We've dealt with some sickness. We're going to back off. We're going to get the guys some rest. We know how hard they worked in the first 10 games."
By the sounds of things, Ruff was ready to deliver breakfast in bed to his players and thank them for beating the Islanders. In fact, what appeared to be Ruff going soft is actually Ruff coaching smart with the Sabres playing three games in four nights every week this month. It's all part of the new-and-improved Lindy, who is reinventing himself after 12-plus years behind the bench.
Ruff has never been a bag-skate coach, but he's certainly no pushover. In past years, his players would have begged for a punishing skate rather than endure Ruff's torturous video reviews. He was notorious for tearing down his players in meetings in an effort to drill his message into their heads.
His style works for young players, but it can become tiresome and suffocating for veterans who have been around for several years. After a while, they become bored with the messenger and stop listening to the message. Ruff lost several players over the years and last season appeared on the verge of losing Derek Roy and Henrik Tallinder, among others.
It was bound to happen. Ruff is the longest-tenured coach in the league. You don't spend that much time in one place without alienating a few players along the way. Ruff is both a good coach and the right coach for Buffalo. Funny, but staying here has actually forced him to become a better coach.
The Sabres hold the option to keep him after this season. He would be snapped up by another team in a heartbeat if they let him go. If you don't appreciate the value of good coaching, just look at the Bills.
Ruff isn't worried about job security. He's too busy trying to strike the balance between pushing his players and pulling back. In past years, he would have pushed Sunday. Instead, he pulled back.
If his players don't respond, the new Ruff can always go back to his old ways.
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