Lindy Ruff’s time in Newark is over.
The New Jersey Devils announced on Monday afternoon that they fired Ruff after nearly four seasons. The veteran coach, 64, has almost 19 seasons of experience as a head coach in the NHL. He spent 15 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and four with the Dallas Stars. His 864 wins ranks fourth in league history.
Associate head coach Travis Green will take over for Ruff on an interim basis for the remainder of the season, the team announced.
Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald thanked Ruff in a press release, but also gave his reasons for the move.
“I hold our entire organization to the highest levels of accountability to focus on being a competitive team that expects to be a perennial playoff contender,” said Fitzgerald. “Unfortunately, we are not currently at that level, and I needed to make this decision.
“This was an extremely difficult conversation to have with Lindy based on the relationship that he and I have. He was the right coach to develop our young players on the ice, and above all else, he is a tremendous person.
After a breakout campaign last year in which the Devils set the franchise record for points and reached the second round of the postseason with a series win over the Rangers, New Jersey has struggled greatly with consistency in 2023-24. With 21 games remaining, the team sits seven points out of a playoff spot.
The Devils gave Ruff a multiyear extension before the start of the season, which was his last under his previous contract. Chants of “Fire Lindy!” could be heard at home games during a rough start and again more recently as New Jersey’s struggles continued.
Associated Press contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Devils fire Lindy Ruff, name Travis Green as interim coach
