'I hate losing'
Sabres reflect on remarkable Stanley Cup run
Posted: Saturday June 06, 1998 04:21 PM
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Just short: Hasek (left) put the Sabres on his back and was two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals (AP) |
BUFFALO, New York (AP) -- Lindy Ruff was a rookie defenseman in 1980 when
the Buffalo Sabres
reached the conference finals and lost in six games to the New York Islanders.
He figured back then that the Sabres would have plenty of chances to
reach the same position, but it took 18 seasons -- with Ruff now a rookie
coach -- for Buffalo to make another run at the Stanley Cup. And once
again, it fell short.
"I hate losing," Ruff said Saturday as the Sabres cleaned out their
lockers. "The last game was a loss, and the expectations are going to be
even higher. We want to go higher."
The Sabres' season ended Thursday when they were eliminated by the Washington Capitals in six
games in the Eastern Conference finals. Considering a tumultuous offseason
and a poor start to the regular season, it was remarkable that they came
within two victories of their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals
since 1975.
Last year, the Sabres finished first in the Northeast Division under
popular coach Ted Nolan before getting knocked out of the playoffs by
Philadelphia in the second round. Then the fun started for Team Turmoil.
General manager John Muckler, named executive of the year by the
Hockey News, was fired after feuding with Nolan and former president
Larry Quinn. The Sabres hired unproven Darcy Regier as their new GM. Regier
offered Nolan, named coach of the year, a one-year contract that was
immediately rejected. Regier then turned to Ruff -- who had no experience
as a head coach -- to regain a winning atmosphere that left when Nolan
walked out the door.
Lindy Ruff turned the Sabres around despite the off-season turmoil (AP) | |
"[Ruff] came in here and played baby-sitter for two months," defenseman
Jason Woolley
said. "We had guys that seemed like they didn't want to play. He could have
easily panicked and changed this team all around. He did a great job of
handling things."
Ruff's first chore was mending relationships in the dressing room after
forward Matthew
Barnaby said he would take a cheap shot at star goaltender Dominik Hasek, the
NHL's most valuable player, for his negative remarks about Nolan. Hasek was
actually booed at home early in the season.
Buffalo also traded popular center Pat LaFontaine to
the New York Rangers
amid questions about whether he had fully recovered from a concussion. Fans
turned against Quinn, who was fired shortly after cable-television magnate
John Rigas took financial control of the team.
"In November, you probably thought we weren't going to make the
playoffs," forward Rob
Ray said. "We were thinking this was going to be a season from hell.
You have to give a lot of credit to the coaching staff and a lot of guys in
the dressing room for pulling it together."
Despite Hasek's seven shutouts in December, the Sabres still were five
games under .500 on January 1 before turning their season around. They rode
Hasek's remarkable play and put together the NHL's best record (22-10-11)
after New Year's Day. The Sabres had a 13-game unbeaten streak, and
finished sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Barnaby asked to be traded just before the deadline, but a deal was never
made. By the end of the season, Hasek again became the favorite to be named
top goaltender and MVP. The two wound up heroes in their conference
semifinals sweep of Montreal. Barnaby had seven goals in 15 playoff games
after having just five in 72 games during the regular season.
"I'm very proud to be a Buffalo Sabre after everything that happened this
year," Barnaby said. "It's time to reflect. We're still upset we didn't go
further. You never know when you'll have another chance to go [this far]
again. Hopefully, it will be next year."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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