Warning: Lindy haters stay away.

By Bucky Gleason
News Sports Columnist

Lindy Ruff still has his moments. Last Monday, for example, he stormed down the visitors' corridor in GM Place in Vancouver and planted his size 11 shoe through a wall. He's punched a few holes in his HSBC Arena office over the years, too.

Fist or foot? Whatever works.

"I usually take turns," Ruff said with a laugh Sunday after a crisp workout in preparation for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Igloo.

Ruff is the same guy with the same general philosophies he had years ago, when he was a young coach trying to find his way. He still stops in the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room after losses and unleashes his sharp tongue. He can still undress players in ways that would leave Simon Cowell begging for mercy.

The difference in him these days from years ago is that he has become more judicious when trying to get his point across. He made subtle adjustments to his coaching style that equated to a major difference when it comes to dealing with his players. He shows up in the dressing room after losses, but not every single time.

He's a better communicator, a better listener, a better coach.

"You can change or not change," Ruff said. "There's still a method to my madness at times. It doesn't mean I haven't gotten mad. There have been a few times I've been fairly mad. There's a hole in the wall here still, and there's a hole in the wall in the odd road game. And then you pull back."

Ruff, who turns 50 on Feb. 17, has pulled back much more than he has pushed this season. He's become a kinder, gentler, smarter coach who has emphasized the positive rather than harp on the negative. It's tough to say whether their success has contributed to his style or his style has made them successful.

Last season, after the Sabres missed the playoffs for the second straight year, Ruff embraced a challenge from managing partner Larry Quinn to become better across the entire organization.

Ruff came back from the world championships with fresh ideas. Over the summer, he also took whatever he could from Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock and Jacques Lemaire during a four-day summit for Canadian Olympic coaches.

Above all, Lemaire convinced him that players wanted to be treated the way Ruff wished he was treated when he played in the league. The old-school approach was just that, old.

Ruff took a cold, hard look at himself and realized they deserved better. He stopped tearing down players and started building up their confidence. He's giving them more days off, less video, showing more faith.

The Sabres are better for many reasons. Rookie Tyler Myers is a wunderkind. The goaltending and team defense have been outstanding. Mike Grier has had a major impact in terms of leadership. The evidence can also be found in the Sabres' confidence, which largely has come from their coach. In turn, they have more confidence in him.

Tim Connolly was lost before Ruff reunited him with Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. Ruff created healthy competition within his roster. He knew darned well he would get away with pulling Toni Lydman and Steve Montador for fresh legs and hunger that came with Nathan Paetsch and Andrej Sekera.

Patrick Kaleta became a better all-around player after Ruff showed confidence in his ability. Ruff tweaked his system, making his power play more efficient and his defensemen more aggressive. A conditioning stint in the AHL worked wonders for Patrick Lalime. Ruff's latest project is fixing Derek Roy.

Of course, a swift kick is required every now and again. But when you look around, the Sabres have become a team with very few holes.

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I think this has perhaps been his best work as a coach (thus far), and he deserves a good portion of the credit for the Sabres resurgence this season.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

I coach varsity soccer, and I can tell you that, while criticism is necessary, there are a lot of different ways you can convey it.

I always lead into criticism with something I like about my players' play. They are more likely to listen to what you have to say, and even more likely to do it.

Just as an example:

"Hey Steve, I like the way you're putting a lot of pressure on the ball carrier, but I need you to remember to keep your body square and force them to the outside. You can't be giving them the middle by overcommitting."

That is the alternative to other coaches, who would just go with, "STEVE, STOP GETTING BEAT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD! SQUARE UP FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

Which one do you think you'd react more positively to?

I've always been a fan of Lindy. He's absolutely the right guy for the job. I had gripes with him last season, but everything that I complained about has been addressed this year.

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Wheelhouse

When I was in high school sports, there were times I needed my coaches to be nice, and times where I needed to get yelled at and pissed off.

A good coach knows the difference. Glad to see Lindy embracing that more.

I had a few teammates in football and baseball that needed a coach to yell at them and challenge their pride for them to focus and play to potential. Like squanto said, a good coach knows what buttons to push with which players. If my coaches went off on a team wide tirade, it didn't bother me because I knew they weren't really talking about me. They needed to motivate certain players and that was just the tactic for the day.

I like the "I usually take turns" quote. Lindy's a funny guy...

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"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

Hm, I wonder how kalinin would have fared if Ruff had changed his attitude a couple years ago.


HAHA...just kidding, he just sucks, period.

Who puts their foot through a wall(more than once), and laughs about it later? I'm generally a tense person, so if I had a friend who acted out like that often, we'd probably end up fighting. Some degree of restraint should be applied.

I like the last line of that article the best.

His next project is Derek Roy.

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