#Lindy Ruff’s ‘exciting’ Devils chance forces Rangers to pick replacement

The New Jersey Devils officially announced Wednesday that Lindy Ruff, a three-year assistant coach for the Rangers, will serve as the club’s new head coach.

In addition, the organization revealed that the interim tag has been removed from general manager Tom Fitzgerald, making him the fifth GM in franchise history.

“I am excited to get back in the lead chair and guide the future of this team,” Ruff said via the Devils’ release. “This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a group of great young talent and strong leadership to the next level.

“Tom and I will sit down together and build a plan for the coaching staff and I will start to get to work on familiarizing myself with the players and staff. I look forward to bringing this core together, developing our players and putting us on a trajectory that can lead to sustained success in a timely manner. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Devils’ organization, and I have the desire and fire to get us on the road towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs and beyond.”

The Rangers confirmed that Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach Gord Murphy would join the Rangers in Toronto for the NHL’s ‘Return to Play’ tournament, temporarily filling the assistant position left vacant by Ruff’s departure.

Ruff, 60, ends his tenure with the Rangers after three years as an assistant coach. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Ruff beat out interim coach Alain Nasreddine, former Islanders coach Peter Laviolette, ex-Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant and former Kings coach John Stevens for the job.

This will be Ruff’s third stint as a head coach in the NHL after gigs with the Sabres and Stars. Ruff compiled a 571-432-78-84 record with the Sabres – the team that drafted him in 1979 – and made eight playoff appearances, including a Coach of Year nod in the 2005-06 season. In four seasons with the Stars, Ruff went 165-122-41 with two playoff seasons.

“We are proud and excited to have Lindy Ruff join our organization as Head Coach,” Fitzgerald said in the team statement. “He is one of the most successful and respected coaches in the NHL, not only today, but in League history. His personality, experience, knowledge, work-ethic and focus will provide a calm presence in our locker room. He is the right coach at the right time for our organization.”