Sabres Summer Update: An Induction for Ruff

Summer in Sabreland has been rather quiet thus far. Really, since the team packed up their gear and said their goodbyes, there’s been little, if any, major news.

Then again, the summer is in its early stages — and still a game or more away for Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers players, coaches and fans — and the NHL Entry Draft, the NHL Awards and the Sabres Development Camp await in the coming months.

The past week, however, brought some good news for a prominent name behind the Sabres bench.

Lindy Ruff, Sabres head coach, will be inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (Roswell Park/Flickr)

Head coach Lindy Ruff will join the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame as part of the GBSHOF’s 20th induction class. The official announcement will take place tomorrow afternoon at HSBC Arena, with Ruff speaking on behalf of the honorees, and the induction ceremony will occur in October.

In 1979, 19-year-old Ruff joined the Sabres as a player and spent 10 seasons, two as captain, with the team before being traded to the New York Rangers in 1989. He played in 691 regular-season games and recorded 105-195-300 totals, as well as 1,264 penalty minutes. Ruff also played 52 playoff games, recording 11-13-24 totals and 193 penalty minutes.

Ruff was hired as Sabres head coach in 1997, making him the NHL’s longest-tenured coach. He holds a team record for regular-season wins (483) and playoff wins (54).

You can check out Ruff’s thoughts on the honor at the Sabres official website.

This year’s other honorees are George Breen, Steve Christie, Charlie Dingboom, Darris and Rich Kilgour, Gail Maloney, Whitey Martin and Dr. Daniel P. Starr. Jimmy Goodrich, Carl Roesch, Buddy Rosar and George Vetter will be honored as part of the Pride of Western New York, a posthumous honor for big names of Buffalo sports.