🦬 Sabres name new head coach
Possible Utah team names, Bob Cole dies, Nylander updates, and more!
Slapshot News
April 25, 2024
In today’s edition:
🦬 Sabres name Lindy Ruff as new head coach
🆕 Possible team names for Utah
🎙️ Legendary Bob Cole dies
🤕 Nylander injury updates
And more!
Sabres name Lindy Ruff new head coach
The Buffalo Sabres announced Monday that the team has hired Lindy Ruff, the fifth-winningest coach in NHL history, as its new head coach.
"I am thankful to Terry, the Pegula family, and Kevyn Adams for this opportunity,” Ruff said. “This is a team ready to take the next step. I am both humbled and honored to be trusted to help this team win now. It is not a job that I take lightly. It is my goal to ensure that players believe in each other, play for each other and love being a Buffalo Sabre. There is no doubt that we all need to embrace the challenge ahead of us. The work starts today and I could not be more excited."
“As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job. He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more…Lindy is the right person for the job now and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals and am excited to get to work with him.”
Ruff compiled 571 wins with the Sabres from 1997-2013, a period which included the franchises' second trip to a Stanley Cup final in 1999 (the first was in 1975). After Buffalo, Ruff spent four years as a head coach in Dallas, and most recently coached for four seasons in New Jersey, going to the playoffs twice with the Stars and once with the Devils.
Possible names brew for Utah team
The NHL is bracing for the Arizona Coyotes' shift to Utah for the 2024-25 season, with the franchise in the process of selecting a new name. Utye LLC has submitted trademark applications for eight potential names, including Mammoth, Ice, Yetis, Venom, Fury, Blizzard, Outlaws, and Hockey Club (Utah HC).
The league's board of governors recently greenlit the Coyotes' relocation, facilitated by a $1.2 billion sale to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith. Arizona could potentially secure an expansion franchise if a new arena is constructed within the next five years, following Utah lawmakers' approval of a bill allowing for a new downtown Salt Lake City arena, where the incoming NHL team will temporarily play at the Delta Center.