Lindy Ruff and the Buffalo Sabres put together one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history, culminating in the end of a 14-season playoff drought, winning the Atlantic Division, and reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that somehow wasn't enough for Lindy Ruff to win the Jack Adams Award, and it undercuts the credibility of the award and the voting process.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper won over finalists Ruff and Pittsburgh Penguins' Dan Muse. There is no denying that Cooper is a Hall of Fame coach, and he probably should have won the Jack Adams Award prior to this season, but this wasn't the season to correct that wrong.
While it is more than just head-to-head, that is the clearest difference between the two resumes. The Lightning finished the season with fewer points than Lindy Ruff's Sabres, and in head-to-head matchups went 0-3-1 against the Sabres.
Lindy Ruff undoubtedly deserved the Jack Adams Award with the way he helped turn the Buffalo Sabres around
At the end of the day, the award will still belong to Jon Cooper, but no coach did a better job this season than Lindy Ruff. The long-time Sabres' coach returned to Buffalo prior to the 2024-25 season and accomplished what he came to do, and that was to end the playoff drought.
However, he did much more than that as he led the Sabres to an Atlantic Division title, which was the first division title since 2009-10. The Sabres would go on historic runs with two win streaks of at least eight games, including a 10-game win streak in December.
He helped navigate the team through injuries after losing two of his top centers (Josh Norris and Jiri Kulich) for long stretches and juggling a three-goalie rotation that dealt with injuries at different points throughout the season.
From a historical perspective, this team was one of the best in franchise history, and it was only the third time that they had 50 or more wins in a season.
The good news is that Lindy Ruff will be back next season to make another run at the Jack Adams Award and maybe the voters will finally get it right the next go-round.
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