‘”In ’03-’04, we were 10th in offense but 22nd in defense,” said Ruff, one of five NHL coaches to participate in the thinktank that led to this season’s rules changes. “I think we’ve proven we can be better defensively. I think part of it is new NHL, I think part of it is we’ve taken advantage. We’ve got team speed and some very creative guys who have put together some very nice years.”‘