Lindy Ruff RELIEVED Of duties, Green Temp Coach

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

7 hours ago, Devilsfan118 said:

You just fired the guy for doing a sh!t job this year.

Weird to post a "thank you" message like this, as if he's retiring or something.

This is kind of becoming common practice though…some form of “We’d like to thank [insert name here] for everything he’s done”, even as someone’s being fired…provided of course there wasn’t squabbling between the fired party and the people who decided to let him go.

It’s obvious that Fitz was very fond of Lindy, and I suspect others were too.  They were definitely hoping that somehow, some way, Lindy was going to turn this thing around…long after that hope should have run out.

Suffice it to say that you can’t keep a guy around just because you really REALLY like him…it’s already been said but this should’ve been done when the season still could’ve been salvaged.  But if Fitz can nail the next hire, and is able to bring in a goalie, this season should hopefully be looked back upon as an unfortunate hiccup, that in time led to much better things.

[Satans Hockey]

7 hours ago, moustic said:

Let's hope that your forum here will now being less toxic... Now that all the crybabies got their toy at Christmas.

There is no doubt that the hate that is so powerful in this place will now redirect at full force on a new scapegoat to make you feel all better... I guess Fitz is the next target of your frustration and need for blood. 

Damn I miss this place so much... I mean the place it used to be. Anyway... Have fun full of hate people. Celebrate until your next hunt. 

 

Lmfao yeah all the crybabies got what we wanted! A wasted season, no playoffs, an absolutely dreadful team to watch all season long and hey on top of that a 9% increase on my season tickets! Yeah what a fvcking crybaby I am! 

I would have never guessed you were so soft considering what we do over here is absolutely tame compared to Ligue 1.

[Devilsfan118]

7 hours ago, moustic said:

Let's hope that your forum here will now being less toxic... Now that all the crybabies got their toy at Christmas.

There is no doubt that the hate that is so powerful in this place will now redirect at full force on a new scapegoat to make you feel all better... I guess Fitz is the next target of your frustration and need for blood. 

Damn I miss this place so much... I mean the place it used to be. Anyway... Have fun full of hate people. Celebrate until your next hunt. 

I mean this will all due respect - this place is a cakewalk compared to the other places you could look (reddit, twitter, etc.).  

People are frustrated with a disappointing season but I haven't seen.. too many.. hot takes on this board.  Granted I'm part of the 'hot take' problem at times but still.  Place is relatively pleasant rn imo.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 hours ago, moustic said:

Let's hope that your forum here will now being less toxic... Now that all the crybabies got their toy at Christmas.

There is no doubt that the hate that is so powerful in this place will now redirect at full force on a new scapegoat to make you feel all better... I guess Fitz is the next target of your frustration and need for blood. 

Damn I miss this place so much... I mean the place it used to be. Anyway... Have fun full of hate people. Celebrate until your next hunt. 

OK, first off, if I were one to do the whole dramatic "I have to leave this place because it's just become SOOOOOOOO toxic in here" bit, I would actually follow through, leave, move on and call it a day.  I wouldn't be sure to come back just to remind everyone again how this place just became SOOOOOOOOO toxic.

That being said, given that you're nowhere near this team on a daily basis (in terms of being able to actually attend games, etc), I don't think it's possible for you to be as invested as those of us who not only live here, but who watch almost all (if not ALL) of the games, many of us who actually GO to games several times a year.

Let's do a quick recap:  Fitz hires Lindy, who definitely comes with some red flags, but given that he does have years of experience, most here are willing to at least give him a chance and see how he works out.  The first two seasons are tough, but hard to blame him for all of it, given that the roster was very obviously a work in progress.  During his second season, we start to see guys like Jack, Nico, and Bratt find a higher level offensively, but there's still enough that looks iffy that many of us are wondering (prior to the 2022-23 season) if Lindy's really the guy to take this team further.

Looks like Fitz had similar concerns, because he hires Brunette to be the "associate coach"; I think that if 2022-23 hadn't seen enough progress or had been too close to more of the same, Lindy's fired (especially with no extension in place), and Brunette gets the gig.  And when the team started off 0-2, it was clear that fans were already losing their patience, as the "Fire Lindy!" chants were heard in the season opener.

Of course, the Devils then go on that massive heater and never look back, and the question that will never fully be answered is how much of last year was due to Brunette?  Fitz had a tough choice:  does he take the highly unorthodox road of replacing the head coach whose team had just banked 112 points and beaten the Devils' most hated rivals in the playoffs, or does he stick with Lindy even though he knows that the guy he brought in as support AND insurance had a very good chance to find another gig?  We know which route that he took.

Anyway, from Day 1, the team never really looks close to last year's...when healthy, they find a way to pull out some wins almost solely by pure skill for a while, but even though the roster is largely the same as last season's, something is very clearly off.  Rarely are the victories truly impressive from start to finish.  There's little semblance of an actual system in place.  A pair of key players are being played out of position, including their superstar of all people.  A kid who was showing promise is held to a standard seeming only applied to HIM, while guys like Smith are apparently held to no standard at all.  And as much of the media has noted (and been VERY critical of), adjustments appear to be borderline nonexistent.

And of top of ALL of this, as the team is often struggling and playoff chances are diminishing by the week, the GM is...nowhere.  Some GMs are very quiet with the media by nature; Lou never had a ton to say no matter what the circumstances.  But given that Fitz had no issues putting himself out there when it was time to talk about how he traded for this guy or signed that guy or how he did such a swell job in selling NJ to incoming players, it was reasonable to expect him not to completely disappear with a season quickly going off the rails.

Fans are passionate and sometimes they get angry and yes, sometimes they can be harsh and become nasty...endless rainbows and roses aren't always part of how fans choose to express themselves, especially in disappointing seasons and when crisis situations either aren't being addressed, or are addressed when it's clearly too late.  This season was one filled with expectations, the least of which was to get into the playoffs...is it THAT difficult for you to understand why people were losing their collective sh!t?  Especially when it had become obvious that this was never ever going to turn back around under Lindy?  And when the GM is even being heavily called out by the MEDIA for being invisible throughout so much of this?

And for the record, I've already said it, but I really want Fitz to stay, nail the coaching hire, and be here for several more years.  I think there's something there.  And just like star players can have down years, I think that front office execs can have them too.  And just like star players, front office execs can bounce back from a rough season.  I believe Fitz can do that, but for now, yeah, fans who aren't happy with how he handled Lindy are going to be down on him until he starts to right the ship.  For now, we'll see what he chooses to do at the rapidly-approaching deadline.    

Edited March 5 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mackchi]

Nice summary. Still doesn’t justify 9% hike in tickets and all the other cash grabs by this ownership. 

[StarDew]

Nice to see how folks allow others to have an opinion without calling them out for having one. Kinda makes his point valid.

[Satans Hockey]

8 minutes ago, StarDew said:

Nice to see how folks allow others to have an opinion without calling them out for having one. Kinda makes his point valid.

He literally came back just to sh!t on the place, nothing else. You can have any opinion you want but saying Lindy Ruff wasn't a problem is 100% incorrect. He wouldn't have been fired if he wasn't a problem. 

Also the member berries sh!t is old. Wahhhh this place use to be so much better wahhhh. I've been on here since 2003 and besides the team being an absolute disappointment this has been the best the forum has ever been.

Edited March 5 by Satans Hockey

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 minutes ago, StarDew said:

Nice to see how folks allow others to have an opinion without calling them out for having one. Kinda makes his point valid.

So if someone who claims to have left because he no longer enjoys it here comes back strictly to call a bunch of members "crybabies" (which technically is a personal attack, although I can't say that I was offended by it, as it would take a hell of a lot more than that), people aren't allowed to comment on that?  No one's saying that he CAN'T put an opinion out there, as long as his membership remains active and in good standing, but it's also true that people CAN respond to what he posted.  

 

[Nicomo]

4 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Also the member berries sh!t is old. Wahhhh this place use to be so much better wahhhh. I've been on here since 2003 and besides the team being an absolute disappointment this has been the best the forum has ever been.

Yeah, I haven’t been here anywhere near as long as a lot of you (joined in 2016), but this is definitely the best the board has been during that time, imo. People at least seem to mostly direct their anger towards the team itself these days, and not each other. 

[Jimmy Leeds]

So, anything happening in Devils land? Have I missed anything?

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

34 minutes ago, mackchi said:

Nice summary. Still doesn’t justify 9% hike in tickets and all the other cash grabs by this ownership. 

As far as ownership goes, in general, they're about what I want out of an ownership:

 

Be willing to pay players as needed, and as far as the NHL goes, be willing to spend up to the cap if necessary.

Trust your hockey people to make hockey decisions.

 

A lot worse when owners either aren't willing to put money into the on-ice product, or assume that because they own the team, that they're now "experts" who insist on meddling where they really shouldn't (see Wilpon, Jeffy).

They're obviously betting on the team bouncing back, at which point if they do, people will forget about the price hike.  But yeah, right now such an increase ain't gonna go over well.

 

[DevilMinder]

 

https://x.com/JamesNicholsNHL/status/1765030267662589956?s=20

Edited March 5 by DevilMinder

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, DevilMinder said:

https://x.com/JamesNicholsNHL/status/1765030267662589956?s=20

Ok now you're REALLY being cryptic...

Never mind, for some reason I can only see this link when I quote you.  Weird.

Yeah, this is an instance where you can REALLY see this was as much about friendship (I'd even say love) as it was about the team.  On that level I feel for both Fitz AND Lindy.  But that can't be allowed to tank a season.

Edited March 5 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[DevilMinder]

Yea, twitter acting up again I guess. Ill edit

[Satans Hockey]

7 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

As far as ownership goes, in general, they're about what I want out of an ownership:

 

Be willing to pay players as needed, and as far as the NHL goes, be willing to spend up to the cap if necessary.

Trust your hockey people to make hockey decisions.

 

A lot worse when owners either aren't willing to put money into the on-ice product, or assume that because they own the team, that they're now "experts" who insist on meddling where they really shouldn't (see Wilpon, Jeffy).

They're obviously betting on the team bouncing back, at which point if they do, people will forget about the price hike.  But yeah, right now such an increase ain't gonna go over well.

 

A lot of Crystal Palace fans want them out as owners. Seen a few banners about it at games, I'm sure it doesn't help they are American either. I don't follow their other sports teams enough to know what those fans think. 

Edited March 5 by Satans Hockey

[Satans Hockey]

6 minutes ago, DevilMinder said:

 

https://x.com/JamesNicholsNHL/status/1765030267662589956?s=20

Really don't like this. It shows that Fitzgerald isn't mature enough to separate friendships from his job. This is absolutely why he didn't fire him months ago like he should have. He basically mercy terminated him because he knew this week was gonna be a disgruntled fan base calling for him to be fired at the home stand this week. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, Satans Hockey said:

Really don't like this. It shows that Fitzgerald isn't mature enough to separate friendships from his job. This is absolutely why he didn't fire him months ago like he should have. He basically mercy terminated him because he knew this week was gonna be a disgruntled fan base calling for him to be fired at the home stand this week. 

You can also look at it as that this was a valuable (and obviously painful) learning experience for him, which can lead to him becoming a better GM, in having learned from making a mistake.  For all we know his next coach may be someone who he's not close with at all.

[DevilMinder]

1 minute ago, Satans Hockey said:

Really don't like this. It shows that Fitzgerald isn't mature enough to separate friendships from his job. This is absolutely why he didn't fire him months ago like he should have. He basically mercy terminated him because he knew this week was gonna be a disgruntled fan base calling for him to be fired at the home stand this week. 

I hate that but also like that he is loyal, it reflects down to the players too who see its a "family operation" and not some corporate what have you done for us lately type environment. Fitz has had emotions on his sleeve since day one when he had that presser about Shero getting fired, so I am not surprised he continues to be that way.

[Satans Hockey]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

You can also look at it as that this was a valuable (and obviously painful) learning experience for him, which can lead to him becoming a better GM, in having learned from making a mistake.  For all we know his next coach may be someone who he's not close with at all.

Or it shows he learned absolutely nothing from Shero not firing Hynes sooner. 

[Devils01]

So we learned absolutely nothing at this press conference other than how hard fitz dick was for Lindy lol. And I disagree with fitz about holtz. Has he been bad in certain areas? Sure but who hasn’t on this team lol

Edited March 5 by Devils01

[jagknife]

10 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

A lot of Crystal Palace fans want them out as owners. Seen a few banners about it at games, I'm sure it doesn't help they are American either. I don't follow their other sports teams enough to know what those fans think. 

It all stems from the goddamn Glazers ruining United. No one would be the wiser if those clowns would have put money back into the club instead of pocketing it and running up debt.

sure Liverpool fans vent about Fenway sports group, too, but it really is the anti-American owners in the EPL because they’re not part of the family there.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, Satans Hockey said:

Or it shows he learned absolutely nothing from Shero not firing Hynes sooner. 

I'm taking the glass half-full approach.  Yeah like almost everyone else, I wish he pulled the trigger MUCH sooner, and hate that not doing so looks like it will be a major factor in this season not working out.  But let me see him get into another situation like this before I assume that history is destined to repeat itself.  

[Satans Hockey]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I'm taking the glass half-full approach.  Yeah like almost everyone else, I wish he pulled the trigger MUCH sooner, and hate that not doing so looks like it will be a major factor in this season not working out.  But let me see him get into another situation like this before I assume that history is destined to repeat itself.  

I'm watching the whole thing now and someone asked him about how come ya didn't do it sooner and he said at times he really didn't like the way the team was playing earlier in the season but not enough for heads to roll and that basically some of the good games here and there saved him from an earlier firing. 

He also said he doesn't think it's too late and there's a small window here. He has more faith in the team then me. I already made a bunch of plans for May and I'm not remotely worried about it. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

13 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

I'm watching the whole thing now and someone asked him about how come ya didn't do it sooner and he said at times he really didn't like the way the team was playing earlier in the season but not enough for heads to roll and that basically some of the good games here and there saved him from an earlier firing. 

He also said he doesn't think it's too late and there's a small window here. He has more faith in the team then me. I already made a bunch of plans for May and I'm not remotely worried about it. 

Team would have to go 16-5 minimum (I think) to have any chance.  I don't see that happening, so yeah, in terms of that part of it, I can't agree with him about any small windows.  The window's been slammed shut for this season.  I'd need to see 8-9 straight wins before I could even begin to entertain such an idea.

[MadDog2020]

20 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

He also said he doesn't think it's too late and there's a small window here. He has more faith in the team then me. I already made a bunch of plans for May and I'm not remotely worried about it. 

He ain’t selling.