[The Athletic] A trip to Lindy Ruff’s hometown reveals origin of Buffalo Sabres coach’s passion and ambition

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1. Hours earlier, Lindy Ruff and the Sabres had dropped their third straight game, a frustrating 7-4 loss against the Calgary Flames. Days later, questions about Ruff’s future as the team’s head coach would hang in the air after the team fired general manager Kevyn Adams and replaced him with Jarmo Kekäläinen. The 65-year-old has already cemented his place in Sabres history after a lengthy playing career earned him a reputation for his hard work and toughness. His first stint as Sabres coach was further evidence of his passion for the game and for Buffalo.

   But when he sat down for lunch with his mom on that mid-December day in Edmonton, Ruff was still struggling to find the right answers during his latest stint with the Sabres. After finishing with 79 points in his first season back in Buffalo, the Sabres were last in the Eastern Conference and appeared headed toward a 15th straight season out of the playoffs. His mom didn’t have any words of wisdom that Ruff remembers, but she did help him take his mind off things.

   “My mom was more worried about getting one of those beer sabres,” Ruff said, referring to the promotional item the Sabres offered at a few home games earlier this year. “Her friend wanted one of those beer sabres. I said, ‘Seriously? I have to carry one of these out to Warburg?’ She said, ‘Yeah, they want it badly.’ I had to cart one of those out with me. That was my main goal at lunch to meet her and give her that sword.”

2. I was wondering what the fun story Matt was alluding to on the Baker Fairburn show. Looking forward to this read.