Pegula says Ruff and Regier are staying

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Terry Pegula had a lot of interesting things to say in his press conference. One of the big topics for Sabres fans is the fate of the head coach and general manager.

Both are staying. Pegula's changes will come to the way the Sabres do business, and how much money they spend. He thinks that will allow Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff to be more successful.

He may not show it like Pegula, but Darcy Regier has to be excited. He will stay as the Sabres general manager, and for the first time in his 13 years, he'll have money to spend.

Pegula said, "Darcy will run a hockey department that I have previously said will have no financial mandates. We're cutting the chains off."

Regier added, "It expands, it opens some areas up that we were maybe a little bit limited in the past. But generally, he's providing resources to really help all of us as an organization. The resources are meant to help us do our jobs better."

Lindy Ruff's contract is up at the end of the season. Right after he said he's a Ruff fan, Pegula made a declaration.

"Lindy and I have talked, pardon my French, but Lindy ain't going nowhere," said Pegula.

Ruff said, "The bottom line is this guy's got an incredible passion. Terry has an incredible passion for winning. He just wants to win a Stanley Cup here. That's making the right choices, that's doing the right things, that's putting a team together. I think everyone's excited. Coaches are excited, our fans should be excited."

Knowing that Ruff and Regier are staying, and seeing Pegula's enthusiasm and commitment, has the Sabres players fired up.

Sabres forward Pat Kaleta said, "It's very exciting. Like I said, I was getting pretty energetic. So I'm pretty excited myself."

Spending money doesn't guarantee success in the NHL, but it should allow the Sabres to keep their good players, something they haven't been able to do. That may be the biggest impact of Pegula's money and the best reason for not making changes.