Lindy Ruff set no records on the ice. 

He was a tough left winger, a solid player, and good leader.  He served as captain of the Buffalo Sabres for three years before being traded to the New York Rangers.  300 points over the course of 691 games, including 105 goals. 

It's true—he was no superstar. 

At least not the first time he was a part of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

On July 21, 1997, Lindy Ruff was named as head coach for the Buffalo Sabres, joining the organization after Ted Nolan, despite winning the Jack Adams Award, was shown the door.  It was an immediate success. 

The first year with the team, the Sabres made it to the conference finals; the second year, they were beaten by the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals.  It was the first time they'd made it to the finals since they lost to Philadelphia in the 1974-75 season. 

Lindy Ruff is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, and will be with the Sabres for at least a few more years.  In his ten years with the Buffalo Sabres, they have made the playoffs six times, including three times as conference finalists, and the one time as Stanley Cup finalists.

He won the Jack Adams award for the 2005-06 season, and was nominated for the same award in the 2006-07 season. 

And, most recently, against the team he was traded to so many years ago, became the 23rd coach to win 400 games—only the seventh to do that with just one team. 

So, while he and his team have yet to win the Stanley Cup, Lindy Ruff certainly shows he knows how to win. 

Congratulations on 400 wins—and here's to 400 more.