Meet Gaye Ruff! She is the beautiful and loving wife of NHL coach Lindy Ruff, the Canadian head coach for the New Jersey Devils who previously coached the Buffalo Sabres and the Dallas Stars. Coach Ruff, a former player himself who played in the defense/ left-wing positions with the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers, amassed a record of 300 points, 105 goals, 195 assists, 1,264 penalty minutes, and played in 52 playoff games.
Lindy Ruff Family
6’2 Lindy Ruff was born in Warburg, Alberta, on February 17, 1960. He is one of four sons born to Shirley and Leeson Ruff, who passed away at the age of 88 on January 28, 2022.
Coach Ruff has three brothers, Marty, Randy and Brent Ruff, who sadly was killed in a bus crash on December 30, 1986, while he played left wing for the Swift Current Broncos, Brent Ruff was 16.
Marty Ruff (b. May 19, 1963), a former defenseman, was drafted by the St. Louis Blues, 20th overall in the 1981 NHL draft. He never played in the NHL. He lives in Canada with his wife, Donna.
Randy Ruff (b. January 31, 1959) played junior hockey and later coached in the same league. He is the production manager at Triple M HOusing; he lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, with his wife, Leslie.
Lindy Ruff Playing Career
Lindy Ruff started his playing career in 1976, playing with the Taber Golden Suns and the Lethbridge Broncos of the AJHL and WCHL, respectively. , 1979 when the Buffalo Sabres drafted him in the second round (32nd overall) in the 1979 NHL draft. Ruff was the Sabres’ captain for three years, but by 1979, he was traded to the New York Rangers.
During the 1991-92 season, Ruff played for the Rochester American of the AHL and retired after the 1993 season while playing for the San Diego Gulls of the IHL.
Lindy Ruff Coaching Career
- After his retirement, Lindy Ruff served as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers for the 1993-94 season.
- July 21, 1997: Lindy Ruff was named the new head coach for the Buffalo Sabres.
- June 8, 1999: Ruff and the Sabres reached the NHL Playoffs; unfortunately, they lost to the Dallas Stars in six games.
- June 2006: He was the winner of the 2005–06 Jack Adams Award for coach of the year.
- February 2007: He was fined $10,00 for a brawl with the Senators.
- April 27, 2007: He was fine again for criticizing officials during the second round playoff against the Rangers.
- 2010: Served as an assistant coach for Canada National Team, which won the gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
- April 29, 2011: Ruff agreed to a contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres.
- February 20, 2013: He was relieved from his coaching duties with the Buffalo Sabres.
- June 21, 2013: He signed with the Dallas Stars.
- 2014: He led the Dallas Stars to their first playoff since 2008; unfortunately, they lost in six games to the Anaheim Ducks.
- April 9, 2017: Dallas announced coach Riff would not return to his head coaching position with the Stars.
- July 10, 2017: He was named assistant coach for the New York Rangers.
- July 9, 2020: The New Jersey Devils announced they hired Lindy Riff as their new head coach.
Lindy Ruff Contract and Salary
On July 9, 2020; Lindy Ruff signed a three-season contract with the New Jersey Devils. how much his contract is worth is unknown, same goes with his salary.
Lindy Ruff Wife
Lindy Ruff and his amazing wife Gaye Ruff got married in 1985. They have since welcomed four children, Brett and Eryn, and twins Brian and Madeline.
Gaye Ruff
Mrs. Gaye Ruff was born Darlene Gaye Ruff on June 10, 1959, in Lethbridge, Southern Alberta, Canada. Gaye Ruff attended the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute and the University of Alberta.
Lindy Ruff Children
As previously mentioned, Lindy and his wife Gaye Ruff have two sons and two daughters.
Brett Ruff was born in October 1989, and is the coordinator of hockey Administration for the Buffalo Sabres. He graduated with a degree in sports management from Syracuse University in 2012.
Eryn Victoria Ruff, born in June 1991, graduated from Clarence High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Eryn is a Middle school science teacher at Faubion Middle School.
Brian Cameron and his twin sister Madeline Nicole were born in August 1994. Brian graduated in 2017, from the University of Miami and is a senior account executive at Verkada in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Madeline, Maddie Ruff graduated in 2020, from Belmont University and has been an occupational therapist at UTSW Medical Center since December 2020.
