BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lindy Ruff became the fifth coach in NHL history to win 900 games when the Buffalo Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in their season finale on Thursday night. Ruff had reached 899 wins a week ago, but a four-game losing streak delayed the milestone.
Ruff, 65, joined Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), Paul Maurice (916) and Barry Trotz (914) as the only coaches in NHL history with 900 wins. Ruff has coached the third-most games of all time. Ruff is also one of two coaches in NHL history to have at least 600 wins with one franchise.
“Lindy has proven his value as an NHL coach for over 30 years, being able to adapt to all changes in the style of hockey, and he has always been a winner,” Bowman, the NHL’s all-time winningest coach, told The Athletic in a text message. “To reach such a milestone that very few coaches have done is the true testament to what he is all about.”
Ruff spent the first 16 years of his head-coaching career with the Sabres after a long career in Buffalo as a player. He led the Sabres to the Eastern Conference final three times and to the Stanley Cup Final once. He was hired for a second stint with the franchise last April. The expectation was that he would be able to help a young team get over the edge and end the franchise’s league-record playoff drought. Instead, the Sabres took a step back from their point total last season and missed the playoffs for the 14th straight season. A 13-game winless streak in December sank their season.
Congratulations on 900 @NHL wins, Lindy! 👏 pic.twitter.com/1vxqKLEXwE
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 18, 2025
That’s why Ruff hasn’t taken much time to revel in the 900-win milestone in what he has described as one of the most challenging seasons of his career.
“I could care less about 900,” Ruff said last week. “Seriously.”
Ruff is under contract for one more season with the Sabres. To this point, there has been no indication that his job is in jeopardy. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said this week that Ruff will be back next season. Recently, Ruff has sounded like a coach who is intent on seeing things through with this Sabres team.
“I’m driven by the fact that I didn’t get this team where I needed to get them soon enough,” Ruff said. “That’s what I’m driven by.”
The Sabres still finished the season at the bottom of the standings. And given the list of issues the Sabres need to fix, the last thing on Ruff’s mind is where he stands on the all-time wins list.
“It’s not about me and how many games I’ve won,” Ruff said last week. “It’s about our team needing to consistently win hockey games, and that is really the whole focus.”
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)