Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
End of the road for Ruff.
10-Jan-2006 | Discuss this ArticleIt is with great regret and sadness that the Kingdom has learned that Jason Ruff’s playing career is over. After returning home for intensive treatment to his muscle injury, doctors concluded that there was no way that Ruff could return to the physical demands of professional ice hockey.
It is a sad end to the career of a player widely regarded as the best to ever don the red, white and teal of the Giants, and also one of the best to have ever played the game in the UK. This much was confirmed when, while playing for the Giants for the second time he carried the team himself, putting in a phenomenal work rate and finishing the season with a record 96 points. As a result he was awarded MVP by the league. Giants fans here on the Kingdom echoed this sentiment as they voted him to be the “Player of the Season” by some considerable margin.
Ruff returned to the Giants this year for the third time, being tempted back by the prospect of being given the role of Assistant Coach, and probably also by playing alongside former NHL great Theo Fleury. It is a measure of Ruff’s ability that he became the Giants 3nd all-time total points scorer, being only 10 points behind Curt Bowen, despite having played an incredible 85 games less. Ruff is also now 2nd on the all time stats for assists, just 2 behind Kevin Riehl.
As a draft pick for the St Louis Blues in 1990 (round 5, #96 overall), Jason got to play alongside NHL legends Adam Oates and Brett Hull. While there, Blues coach Brian Sutter commented on Ruff “He's a big man with real good hands. He can handle the puck. He can go through traffic”.
Jason will be returning home to Lethbridge, Canada,to take a coaching position for a junior feeder team. All of us at the Kingdom would like to thank Jason for everything he has done for the Belfast Giants and would like to wish him well for the future.
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League Standings
| P | TEAM | GP | W(OT) | L(OT) | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 54 | 46(0) | 5(3) | 95 |
| 2 | Steelers | 54 | 41(0) | 11(2) | 84 |
| 3 | Panthers | 54 | 38(0) | 12(4) | 80 |
| 4 | Devils | 54 | 32(0) | 12(10) | 74 |
| 5 | Blaze | 54 | 32(0) | 20(2) | 66 |
| 6 | Clan | 54 | 31(0) | 19(4) | 66 |
| 7 | Stingrays | 54 | 16(0) | 34(4) | 36 |
| 8 | Stars | 54 | 13(0) | 35(6) | 32 |
| 9 | Capitals | 54 | 13(0) | 37(4) | 30 |
| 10 | Flyers | 54 | 8(0) | 40(6) | 22 |
Giants' Stat Leaders
| Points | Robert Dowd | 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Robert Dowd | 40 |
| Assists | Craig Peacock | 49 |
| PIM | Adam Keefe | 247 |