Breaking news from today’s Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce luncheon (sigh, we knew we should’ve been there) -- Lindy Ruff will be the new head coach of the Dallas Stars, reports the Star-Telegram’s Travis Brown.
Stars president and CEO Jim Lites made the announcement, saying he shook hands with Ruff in the Dallas suburb of Frisco before coming to the lunch.
Ruff, of course, was fired by the Sabres in February. He had been the head coach in Buffalo since July 21, 1997, and was the longest-serving coach in the NHL. Four times he took Buffalo to the conference finals, advancing to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999 where the Sabres fell to the Dallas Stars in six games.
In 2006, Ruff won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach.
Update (2:32 p.m. ET)
Just talked to Jim Lites and he said tap the brakes on Lindy Ruff hiring. Said they like him a lot but nothing is done yet.
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) June 20, 2013
Update (3:29 p.m. ET)
Tortorella interviewed strong with the Stars. Nill is expected to spend a couple of days with Ruff before a final decision is made.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 20, 2013