According to coach Pat Bingham, Ruid is expected to be here the entire season.
``We dug in,'' Bingham said. ``We felt strongly that he needed to make a commitment to us, that outside of the AHL, this is the best place in North America to play. This is a proud organization and a successful one with the support of the community and the fans. He understood that.
``Call me old-fashioned, but I've coached J.C. for four years, and we broke off negotiations last week because we stood firm. There's no gray area here, and he knows that. He knows this deal is for the full year, and he has given his word. He brought up the possibility he had for going to Europe in the first place, and I give him a lot of credit for that. He didn't have to do that but he was up front with us all the way.''
From J.C. Ruid
Regarding Europe: ``That's done. The deal was I just needed a little more time to think things through. I had talked with them (the Komets) a couple of years ago and things didn't work out, and I probably didn't make it clear enough this time that I just needed a little more time to think about it. This definitely wasn't the easiest decision, but I'm thrilled with it now that it is finished.''
