The Buffalo Sabres hold the NHL’s longest playoff drought, having last made the postseason in 2011, the same year Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the team from Tom Golisano. Under longtime head coach Lindy Ruff, the Sabres reached the quarterfinals but were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in a seven-game series.
After missing the playoffs again in 2012, Ruff was fired on February 20, 2013. His replacement, interim head coach Ron Rolston, couldn’t turn things around and was let go on November 13, 2013. A series of mostly unsuccessful coaches followed, including Ted Nolan (who clashed with management during the McDavid-Eichel tanking phase), Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and Don Granato.
During this stretch, the Sabres also cycled through three General Managers: Darcy Regier (who was dismissed the same day as interim coach Ron Rolston), Tim Murray, and Jason Botterill, before hiring current GM Kevyn Adams.
Similarly, Buffalo’s other major pro sports team, the Bills, endured a longer postseason drought that began after the 2000 NFL season and didn’t end until December 31, 2017. The Bills went through a string of unsuccessful head coaches during this time, including Wade Phillips (fired after missing the playoffs in 2000), Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell, Chan Gailey, Doug Marrone, Rex Ryan, and Anthony Lynn. The team also changed General Managers six times, moving from John Butler to Tom Donahoe, Marv Levy (a former head coach), Russ Brandon, Buddy Nix, and Doug Whaley.
Current GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott were both hired in 2017, a season in which the Bills finished 9-7. All of Buffalo then anxiously awaited the result of the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens game on December 31.
A Bengals win was crucial for ending Buffalo’s playoff drought, as the Bills held the tiebreaker over the 9-7 Ravens. Fortunately, Cincinnati secured the victory with 53 seconds remaining, winning 31-27. In appreciation, Bills fans flooded Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s personal charity with donations, many in $17 increments, as a nod to the Bills’ win total.
Fast forward seven years later and the Buffalo Sabres face a similar situation
Although Lindy Ruff isn’t a new hire, his mission is the same as Sean McDermott’s was in 2017: win enough games to secure a playoff spot. It’s a simple but challenging goal. In some ways, Ruff’s task is even tougher, as the NHL’s 82-game season requires the Sabres to win consistently—far more often than they have in recent years—to break their playoff drought. If Ruff manages to pull it off, Sabres fans will be immensely grateful.
Ruff doesn’t currently have a personal charity, but back in 2007, fans donated to the “Lindy Ruff Fine Fund” to help the famously fiery coach pay a $10,000 fine after his involvement in a brawl with the Ottawa Senators. While we hope Ruff won’t have to resort to such measures again, unpredictable NHL officiating means anything could happen. Should the Sabres make the playoffs this season, fans might show their appreciation by donating to Give716, the joint charity supported by both the Bills and Sabres.
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