Dec 6, 2024: Adams indicates it was Ruff's decision to go with current coaching staff

[Weave]

I’ve been trying to tell you guys since he was hired, Lindy is here as a favor to the organization that he holds a lot of loyalty for.  He’s not gonna rock boats.  He giving a good faith effort to work with the situation Terry and Mr. Smithers prefer.  He is here to try to bring credibility to an organization and operating system that Pegula and Smithers prefer to work under.

Does that make Lindy culpable?  Maybe.  I suppose.  To me, it is closer to charity work than anything else.

[bob_sauve28]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Great movie, so many great one liners

John Candy: I'm a lean mean fighting machine!! lol

[DarthEbriate]

Waylon Smithers is one of the most competent characters in the entire Simpsons character catalog. And although it's rare because he loves his boss, he does routinely go against Burns' wishes or confront him when he's too evil. We haven't seen a sliver of the backbone in Adams that Smithers has shown.

[Pimlach]

35 minutes ago, Weave said:

I’ve been trying to tell you guys since he was hired, Lindy is here as a favor to the organization that he holds a lot of loyalty for.  He’s not gonna rock boats.  He giving a good faith effort to work with the situation Terry and Mr. Smithers prefer.  He is here to try to bring credibility to an organization and operating system that Pegula and Smithers prefer to work under.

Does that make Lindy culpable?  Maybe.  I suppose.  To me, it is closer to charity work than anything else.

I think this is closest to truth. 

Lindy wants to see the Sabres get out of the dumpster.  He is not rocking the boat for the greater good or the organization.  I doubt he cares what anyone else thinks.  

Meanwhile, Smithers "talked" to an NHL assistant coach.  Nothing came of it, just a conversation, and that person signed somewhere else.  Now Adams can say he talked to other coaches but nothing came of it.   

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

What does this mean? It doesn't really follow a single thought. 

What does that say about Lindy? Well by Adams own admission Lindy asked about replacing the staff at the front end, and then after getting to know the staff had a "back and forth" with Adams about replacing them. There is no back and forth between two people are on the same page off the rip. So unless you think Adams wanted to replace the staff and Lindy was trying to keep them, to me it sounds like Lindy tried to replace the coaching staff. 

I am not sure what the realistic expectation of Lindy Ruff is. He has spent nearly 30 years in this town as a coach or player for the Buffalo Sabres. I am sure it would be really really hard for him to throw his fingers up at the org and walk away over hunkering down and trying to right the ship. 

The expectation, which you seem to imply, is that Lindy should go out in a blaze of glory. That seems like the absolute worst way to end a career in your home town and would basically be unprecedented in any of the big 4 leagues in the US. 

I cannot possibly wrap my head around the fact that any human who watches that presser and has followed the Sabres isn't targeting all their anger and frustration at some combination of Pegula and Adams. They could hire the ghost of Scotty Bowman to be the HC this team with Trotz, Deboer, and Maurice on staff and they would still miss the playoffs. That is how wildly inept this franchise is. 

 

 

As much as I am down on Ruff and think he is no longer a good option as an NHL head coach, I don’t think he is accepting a position where he is that handcuffed. If Ruff thought he needed better assistants, I have zero doubt that he would tell Adams that. And if Adams said no and told Ruff the org won’t fork out $350K to fire Matt Ellis, then I think Ruff would resign. 

The Sabres just added Staal and Kekalainan to their front office. I would bet they are being paid a lot more than Wilford and Ellis. It defies logic that Pegula would agree to spend more on the front office but won’t pay comparable peanuts to upgrade the coaching staff. 

[That Aud Smell]

3 hours ago, Mango said:

Adams always leaves wiggle room. He is a total weasel. 

This is exactly it. Going back and parsing Adams' statements in the Palm Trees and Taxes press conference won't reveal anything definitive about the terms Lindy accepted when he became HC.

[Mango]

15 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

As much as I am down on Ruff and think he is no longer a good option as an NHL head coach, I don’t think he is accepting a position where he is that handcuffed. If Ruff thought he needed better assistants, I have zero doubt that he would tell Adams that. And if Adams said no and told Ruff the org won’t fork out $350K to fire Matt Ellis, then I think Ruff would resign. 

The Sabres just added Staal and Kekalainan to their front office. I would bet they are being paid a lot more than Wilford and Ellis. It defies logic that Pegula would agree to spend more on the front office but won’t pay comparable peanuts to upgrade the coaching staff. 

 

WTF are we talking about here? This is sooo far out of the realm of reasonable.  There have been next almost zero HC who proactively quit their jobs mid-contract that aren't part of some joint agreement to walk away rather than be fired. Lindy would be 1 of 1 who spent 30 years in the same city only to walk out of the org on terrible terms mid contract.

It would be a horrendous end to any coaches legacy for the org, for the fans, and for Lindy himself. I think he was a little bamboolzed by making some assumptions about the same weird wording we constantly hear from Adams. And instead of ending his tenure hanging the city out to dry he is sticking around to try and right this thing before he rides off into the sunset. 

Adams is constantly smug in his wording, and particularly so in what is the worst press conference in Buffalo sports history. He is wildly evasive and aggressive from start to finish. Assistant coaches included. 

I am just so baffled how anybody can listen to that interview and think that enemy number one and in this organization is Terrance Pegula and Kevyn Adams. And then talk about a team that has lead the league in unused cap dollars over 5 years and thing 'It DoEsNt MaKe SeNsT tHaT pEgUlA WoUldNt SpEnD oN nEw CoAcHeS"

I don't think Lindy is a world beater. He isn't, especially at this point in his career. The best part of Lindy is that he can make a 10 goal scorer a 20 goal scorer. The worst part is that he can take a 30 goal scorer and also make them a 20 goal scorer. He can take the 20th best roster and get them into the playoffs and maybe steal a series. But he also won't have the 6th best roster in the conference finals all the time either.

 

[Mango]

3 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

This is exactly it. Going back and parsing Adams' statements in the Palm Trees and Taxes press conference won't reveal anything definitive about the terms Lindy accepted when he became HC.

That is arguably the worst presser in Buffalo Sports history. Either that or the "Hockey Heaven" speech. I feel like I am being gaslighted. Like this cannot be real. There aren't real humans who watch those 20 minutes and come away with "ya know, I think somebody else is the problem here"

Adams literally admits that Lindy asked in the interview process about the coaches and then brought it up again after getting to know everybody. There is no back and forth between two people who want to keep the coaching staff that is already in place. It is, "you still like them?"..."yeah"..."cool". And you move on. 

[Big Guava]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I still do not trust what Adams said in the video to be the complete story. 

Adams "talked" to an NHL Assistant Coach recently, but nothing really happened and no offer was made, so he ended up in Chicago.  

 

 

Adams was like 

 

[HumanSlinky39]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I think this is closest to truth. 

Lindy wants to see the Sabres get out of the dumpster.  He is not rocking the boat for the greater good or the organization.  I doubt he cares what anyone else thinks.  

Meanwhile, Smithers "talked" to an NHL assistant coach.  Nothing came of it, just a conversation, and that person signed somewhere else.  Now Adams can say he talked to other coaches but nothing came of it.   

Palm trees and taxes, man. Amiright?

[Archie Lee]

I’m not defending Pegula or Adams (they are bad at their roles, and big picture are obviously more to blame than Ruff).  I just think it’s  absurd to think that if Ruff, the venerable veteran, hand-picked, nobody else considered, greatest coach in team history, 3rd all-times in games coached and 5th in wins, said that in order to improve chances of winning he needed to bring in one guy that could help install his system or coach the PP, that Adams and Pegula would say no to spending an extra $350K (from what I can gather, about an average assistant coaching salary). I mean, I think things are pretty dire. But that is far more bleak than even I believe. If that’s the case, then we are in “no hope” territory. 

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

Palm trees and taxes, man. Amiright?

Nope.  He talks and takes no action.   Which is fair if he is just checking into the situation, and he can now use it in a future press conference as actively looking. 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Nope.  He talks and takes no action.   Which is fair if he is just checking into the situation, and he can now use it in a future press conference as actively looking. 

AND we believe

[Porous Five Hole]

7 hours ago, Mango said:

That is arguably the worst presser in Buffalo Sports history. Either that or the "Hockey Heaven" speech. I feel like I am being gaslighted. Like this cannot be real. There aren't real humans who watch those 20 minutes and come away with "ya know, I think somebody else is the problem here"

 

Agree one million percent.  GMKA should have been fired that night.  With all the wonderful things about WNY for players (incredibly cheap high-end housing, the way players love it here once they’re here,  the small size and low pressure of media relative to big markets, the quality of education for the children of the players in WNY, the proximity to Ontario, etc etc). 
 

BTW, the taxes thing isn’t relevant here.  Buffalo is the 13th highest tax town in the NHL…so about the middle of the road. 
 

Palm trees and taxes was Kevyn waiving the white flag of his capability.  Say what you want about the rationale of him holding the position (it was always weak), but that should have sealed his fate.  From here, I’m stuck in the feels of  the Succession quote of “I love you but you’re not serious people.”

I know Buffalo is the youngest team in the league (again), but I truly believe any success with the team performance from here is by accident and GMKA is a hindrance to success. ::sigh::

[Taro T]

8 hours ago, Mango said:

That is arguably the worst presser in Buffalo Sports history. Either that or the "Hockey Heaven" speech. I feel like I am being gaslighted. Like this cannot be real. There aren't real humans who watch those 20 minutes and come away with "ya know, I think somebody else is the problem here"

Adams literally admits that Lindy asked in the interview process about the coaches and then brought it up again after getting to know everybody. There is no back and forth between two people who want to keep the coaching staff that is already in place. It is, "you still like them?"..."yeah"..."cool". And you move on. 

Nah.  THE worst was the one where Regier said there would be "suffering."  He didn't lie; but we've been living with the aftermath of that decision for going on 15 years.

Honorable mention, the one where Bryan Lewis explained why "no goal" was adjudicated properly.  LIAR LIAR pants on fire.

[Mango]

18 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Nah.  THE worst was the one where Regier said there would be "suffering."  He didn't lie; but we've been living with the aftermath of that decision for going on 15 years.

Honorable mention, the one where Bryan Lewis explained why "no goal" was adjudicated properly.  LIAR LIAR pants on fire.

I should have clarified it with "from somebody from one of the orgs".

But also we've had a bunch of dudes leave and be very good players in the league post Darcy. If that speech was given from Pegula, then sure. Honestly it should have been.

[Taro T]

13 hours ago, Mango said:

I should have clarified it with "from somebody from one of the orgs".

But also we've had a bunch of dudes leave and be very good players in the league post Darcy. If that speech was given from Pegula, then sure. Honestly it should have been.

Well, Regier WAS a part of the organization at the time he declared there would be "suffering."  Should have been fired on the spot but instead he started us down this road and wasn't canned until Rolston directed an absolutely unwatchable product on the ice.

[Weave]

31 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Well, Regier WAS a part of the organization at the time he declared there would be "suffering."  Should have been fired on the spot but instead he started us down this road and wasn't canned until Rolston directed an absolutely unwatchable product on the ice.

Didn’t the “suffering” line go with the public release of that graphic showing all the 1st rd picks on playoff team rosters?  No way that went out to the STHs without TPs eyeballs on it.  Especially given what we know now.  I am not sure what the fire-able action was.
 

Darcy also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild, and clearly the owner got what he wanted.  The way I see it, Darcy was the good soldier at the time.

Edited 2 hours ago by Weave

[darksabre]

34 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Well, Regier WAS a part of the organization at the time he declared there would be "suffering."  Should have been fired on the spot but instead he started us down this road and wasn't canned until Rolston directed an absolutely unwatchable product on the ice.

 

3 minutes ago, Weave said:

Didn’t the “suffering” line go with the public release of that graphic showing all the 1st rd picks on playoff team rosters?  No way that went out to the STHs without TPs eyeballs on it.  Especially given what we know now.  I am not sure what the fire-able action was.
 

Darcy also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild, and clearly the owner got what he wanted.  The way I see it, Darcy was the good soldier at the time.

I still think it's possible the Regier plan would have worked if Terry had been a better owner. 

They came to an agreement on how to proceed, Regier pulled the lever, and then Terry lost his nerve. 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, Weave said:

Didn’t the “suffering” line go with the public release of that graphic showing all the 1st rd picks on playoff team rosters?  No way that went out to the STHs without TPs eyeballs on it.  Especially given what we know now.  I am not sure what the fire-able action was.
 

Darcy also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild, and clearly the owner got what he wanted.  The way I see it, Darcy was the good soldier at the time.

Nope.  That was said in a news conference.  Might try to find that cringe worthy letter to STHers, but don't believe "suffering" was directly stated as such in it.

[Weave]

3 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Nope.  That was said in a news conference.  Might try to find that cringe worthy letter to STHers, but don't believe "suffering" was directly stated as such in it.

Poor wording on my part.  I was referring to the timeline of those two events.  Weren’t they close in timing?

[Taro T]

Just now, darksabre said:

 

I still think it's possible the Regier plan would have worked if Terry had been a better owner. 

They came to an agreement on how to proceed, Regier pulled the lever, and then Terry lost his nerve. 

Regier's plan would defintiely have resulted in the playoffs by now had he been in charge of it.

BUT Regier got punted because the team he iced in that first full tank year was unwatchable.  Rolston was so completely out of his league when he wasn't just tweaking what Ruff was doing as a midseason breath of fresh air it wasn't even comical.  Regier did what his boss wanted him to do.  He set the team on a path to being the worst team in the league by far.

They won 21 games that year with 7 of those wins coming in a SO.  Even with the improvement in play by bringing in Nolan they still finished 14 points out of 29th in a 30 team league.

There was no way they were going to let Regier run the 2nd year of the tank.  They just couldn't.  There wouldn't have been anybody in the building.

Murray had a ton of flaws, but he worked the line during his portion of the tank in making sure they finished dead last while still being marginally watchable.

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

Poor wording on my part.  I was referring to the timeline of those two events.  Weren’t they close in timing?

Yes, they were.  And IIRC the cringe worthy letter to STHers was sent in large part due to backlash from annoucing a price increase just before saying there will be "suffering."

[darksabre]

1 minute ago, Taro T said:

Regier's plan would defintiely have resulted in the playoffs by now had he been in charge of it.

BUT Regier got punted because the team he iced in that first full tank year was unwatchable.  Rolston was so completely out of his league when he wasn't just tweaking what Ruff was doing as a midseason breath of fresh air it wasn't even comical.  Regier did what his boss wanted him to do.  He set the team on a path to being the worst team in the league by far.

They won 21 games that year with 7 of those wins coming in a SO.  Even with the improvement in play by bringing in Nolan they still finished 14 points out of 29th in a 30 team league.

There was no way they were going to let Regier run the 2nd year of the tank.  They just couldn't.  There wouldn't have been anybody in the building.

Murray had a ton of flaws, but he worked the line during his portion of the tank in making sure they finished dead last while still being marginally watchable.

There's nobody in the building now.

Pegula was and still is a coward. 

[Taro T]

Just now, darksabre said:

There's nobody in the building now.

Pegula was and still is a coward. 

There was nobody in the buliding immediately coming out of the COVID lockout (meaning the following full season; not the shortened one that they only sold handfuls of tix to).  It would've been like that.  That Rolston team was completely unwatchable and would've given the '74'75 Caps a good run for their money.

[DarthEbriate]

Just now, Taro T said:

There was nobody in the buliding immediately coming out of the COVID lockout (meaning the following full season; not the shortened one that they only sold handfuls of tix to).  It would've been like that.  That Rolston team was completely unwatchable and would've given the '74'75 Caps a good run for their money.

Who promoted Rolston? Who was the ringleader in the USNTDP-only hiring process?