Lindy hated Afinogenov but he played him and won a lot with him.
Looking back, former Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov is grateful for some of the guidance and tough love coach Lindy Ruff gave him.
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Former Sabres star Maxim Afinogenov shares special moment with Lindy Ruff
<<<Looking back, Afinogenov is grateful for some of the guidance and tough love Sabres coach Lindy Ruff gave him.
“Right now, I can see he was right,” he said. “… He (taught) me, and I think I learned a lot from him. When I was gone from Buffalo, I think it helped me a lot through my career until was 40.”
Afinogenov appreciates that Ruff allowed him to utilize his strengths.
“He let me play offense like I want, and he was always point me out on my defense in the defensive zone or how we play in the neutral zone,” said Afinogenov, who received a loud ovation when he was introduced before Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. “It helped me when I played for the different teams.”
Following Thursday’s game, Ruff acknowledged he could be hard on Afinogenov, who sometimes took what he called “incredibly long shifts.” Ruff said Afinogenov would say he had stayed on the ice because he wasn’t tired.
“I said, ‘I’m OK with you not being tired … but two right wingers just missed their shift,’” Ruff said. “I said, ‘We’re on the fourth line already.’ It was kind of that.”
But when they reunited Thursday, Afinogenov showed his appreciation for Ruff by bringing him a bottle of Russian Vodka as a gift.
“I think for me that warmed my heart and made me smile,” Ruff said. “You know you push players and you think, ‘Did I push too hard at times?’ I think I did. But I’m only trying to make them better. But for him to do that, I just thought, incredible.”>>>
And man I hope we get the offseason right. Don't want to regress and fall out of the playoffs...
