Für unsere Gäste » here." Since Ruff still had two s

West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui could make a surprise early return in next weeks AFL clash with Collingwood at the MCG.Naitanui has been grounded since undergoing surgery to remove the plantaris tendons from both of his legs on June 14.The procedure was designed to eradicate the Achilles tendon pain hed been experiencing for most of the season.West Coast initially pencilled in Naitanui to return for the Round 20 clash with Fremantle, or the Round 21 encounter against GWS.But coach Adam Simpson said there was a chance Naitanui would be fit to face Collingwood on Saturday week.Hes one or two weeks away, Simpson told Perth radio station 6PR.Hopefully we might see him around the Collingwood game. Or if not, it would be hopefully the week after.Hes one of our key players that wed like in our side.Eagles midfielder Luke Shuey said Naitanuis looming return would be a big boost..I was speaking to him (on Monday) morning. Hes feeling good, and hasnt had any setbacks, Shuey said.The most important thing is hes back for finals. We wont rush him back if hes sore. But I think hes had a pretty smooth run so far.Midfielder Dom Sheed, who was grounded earlier this season with a pectoral tear, is pushing for an AFL recall after making it through three WAFL games unscathed.Defender Eric Mackenzie and Lewis Jetta are others in the mix to return for Saturdays clash with Melbourne at Domain Stadium.Jetta was an unused emergency during last weeks scrappy win over Carlton, but Simpson said the out-of-form wingman may need to go back to WAFL ranks to build up more match fitness and form.Scott Niedermayer Jersey . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. 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Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. DALLAS -- Lindy Ruff had one stipulation when he agreed to meet with the Dallas Stars about their coaching vacancy. "We cant meet in the crease," Ruff said about his joking conversation with new Stars general manager Jim Nill. Ruff was hired Friday the new coach of the Stars, 14 years after Dallas clinched its only Stanley Cup championship on a goal he has always questioned -- Brett Hulls shot with his skate in the crease late in the third overtime of Game 6 that beat the Ruff-coached Buffalo Sabres. "Its a long time ago," Ruff said after his introduction. "Ive had some great memories. Ive gotten past that. Im a coach, I want to coach, and this is an unbelievable opportunity. ... It all worked out great for Dallas. "It didnt work out so good for us back then. I can tell you one thing, that same emotion and same passion will be here in Dallas if the same type of thing happens or anything similar, because thats the fire I have." The Stars, who have missed the playoffs the past five seasons, gave the 53-year-old Ruff a four-year contract. He is the 22nd coach in franchise history and seventh since the team moved to North Texas in 1993. Before being fired by Buffalo in February, Ruff had been the Sabres coach for 15 seasons and was the NHLs longest active-serving coach with one team. The Sabres only Stanley Cup appearance under Ruff came in that 1999 final known for the "No Goal!" chant that Ruff joined thousands of Buffalo fans in after the series was over. They thought Hulls skate was in the goalies crease before he had control of the puck and the goal shouldnt have been allowed. "The league said it was a goal. I just argued that it wasnt," Ruff said. "My first thing was asking whether this was being reviewed and couldnt get an answer. ... Its all behind me." Ruff is the first significant hire for Nill, the longtime Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager who signed a five-year deal in April to replace the fired Joe Nieuwendyk. Nill had worked in Detroits front office since 1994, his last 15 seasons as the general manager of the franchise that has made the playoffs the past 22 seasons. The Stars are in their longest post-season drought in the history of the franchise that started as the Minnesota North Stars from 1967-93.dddddddddddd They were 22-22-4 last season, at the bottom of the Pacific Division. Before his time in the front office, Nill finished his playing career in the Red Wings organization. Ruff was drafted by the Sabres in 1979 and became the captain during his 10 years as a player before getting traded to the New York Rangers, then later returning to Buffalo as coach. Now the two men who spent extended periods of time within separate organizations are starting fresh together in Dallas. "Thats the intriguing part of it. ... The first time I met Lindy, he said why did you leave (Detroit)," Nill said. "So we walked through it. I talked about the ownership, talked about the foundation being built, talked about opportunity, talked about a fresh start." Two weeks after Nill was hired, he decided not to renew the third-year option for coach Glen Gulutzan. Nill spoke to several candidates for the job, but quickly realized that Ruff had all the attributes he desired in a coach. "It was experience, credibility, stability, great knowledge of the game, person thats been in different situations, the highs and lows and a good family person on and off the ice," Nill said. "We sat down and all these attributes were checked off. ... Were looking excitedly to a very long tenure here." Since Ruff still had two seasons left on his contract with Buffalo, the Stars had to get permission from the Sabres to talk to the coach. Ruff was the Sabres winningest coach (571-432-162), but was fired after a 6-10-1 in this years lockout-shortened season. There had been 170 NHL coaching changes between his hiring in July 1997 and the time he was fired. Under Ruff, the Sabres made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons and eight times overall. They made the Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and 2007. "When you coach for that number of years and in the same place, the exciting part for me is in talking to a lot of other coaches, from former coaches here to coaches that have gone from organization to organization, how it revitalized them, energized them," Ruff said. "Im excited about working with Jim and all his experiences that he had in Detroit. It was just a real good fit." ' ' '