Devils fire Ruff, name Green interim head coach
Published
The New Jersey Devils made a change behind the bench on Monday.
The team announced the firing of Lindy Ruff and the appointment of Travis Green as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Devils sit at 30-27-4 on 64 points, eight behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with two teams in front of them.
Ruff, 64, was in his fourth season with the team. He was signed to a multi-year extension this past fall coming off of the team's first playoff appearance in his first three seasons with the team.
He finishes his Devils tenure with a record of 128-125-28 (.505).
A native of Warburg, Alta., Ruff previously had stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. His 864 coaching wins over 23 seasons are fourth-most all-time and most among active coaches.
Ruff also had a 12-year NHL career as a player from 1979 to 1991 with the Sabres and New York Rangers, appearing in 691 games.
Green, 53, joined the Devils as an associate coach this past summer. He previously four-plus seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2017 to 2021, amassing a mark of 133-147-34 (.478).
As a player, Green appeared in 970 NHL games over 14 seasons with the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins from 1992 to 2007.