Darryl Sutter
Darryl John Sutter is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. He is one of seven Sutter brothers, six of whom made the NHL ; all but Rich and Gary worked alongside Darryl in some capacity during his first tenure with the Flames.
As a player, Sutter, like his brothers, earned a reputation for high work ethic and aggressive, tough play as he suited up for more than 400 games. Sutter served as the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks for five years until injuries forced him to retire from professional hockey at age 28.
In addition to the Flames, Sutter has served as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings. He coached the Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 and is the winningest coach in their history. He also previously worked for the Flames in multiple capacities, serving as the team's head coach from 2002 to 2006 and general manager between 2003 and 2010. Sutter rejoined the Flames in 2021 for his second stint as the team's head coach.
Playing career
Sutter grew up playing hockey near his home of Viking, Alberta, and like his brother Brian Sutter he was coached and mentored by former NHL defenceman and Chicago Black Hawks coach Clem Loughlin.Sutter received an offer to try out for the Red Deer Rustlers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League following in Brian's footsteps, the Rustlers served as the starting point for all six Sutter brothers. Sutter joined the Rustlers in 1974–75, and in his three seasons, Sutter scored 114 goals and compiled 306 points in 176 games while the Rustlers failed to make the playoffs in each of Sutter's three seasons. Sutter's 136 points in the 1975–76 season was good enough for third in league scoring, and the following season Sutter put up 133 points which led the AJHL. At the end of the 1976–77 season Sutter joined the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Canadian Hockey League, playing one regular season game and 15 playoff games. In the following season, Sutter appeared in 68 games for the Broncos, scoring 33 goals and compiling 81 points as the team finished first in the Central division. Despite a strong showing in the WCHL Sutter fell to the 11th round of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft where he was selected by the Chicago Black Hawks 179th overall. Sutter was dejected by his low draft position and felt an NHL career would not be possible. Pat Shimbashi the co-owner of the Lethbridge Broncos offered Sutter CA$13,000 to join the Iwakura Tomakomai of the Japan Ice Hockey League for the 1978–79 Season. Sutter put up 28 goals and 41 points in 20 games in the JPN, after which he returned to North America in February 1979 to join the Black Hawks American Hockey League affiliate New Brunswick Hawks where the following season he was awarded the 1979–80 Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for AHL rookie of the year after scoring 35 goals and 66 points in 69 games.
Chicago Blackhawks
Standing at and weighing, Sutter made the jump to the NHL in the 1979–80 season, playing eight games and scoring his first NHL goal in December 16, 1979 in a 7–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. In the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs Sutter suited up for all seven games including a first-round three-game sweep victory over the St. Louis Blues captained by his older brother Brian. During the series, Darryl scored one goal and one assist, while Brian was held pointless in three games. The Black Hawks were subsequently eliminated in the second round in a four-game sweep loss to the Buffalo Sabres. In his first seven playoff games, Sutter scored three goals and one assist.Sutter's first complete season came in 1980–81 where he put up a career-high 40 goals and 62 points as the Black Hawks finished with the 10th best record in the NHL at 31–33–16. Among the highlights of the season included a hattrick in a 7–5 win over the Edmonton Oilers on October 18, 1981. Sutter's 40 goals left him tied for 17th in scoring across the NHL, and he finishing fourth in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting. The Black Hawks were swept three games to zero by the Calgary Flames in the first round of the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs.
In the 1981–82 season Sutter played 40 games scoring 23 goals and 12 assists. His season was shortened due to nagging injuries, however, Sutter headed into the playoffs healthy. The Black Hawks defeated the Minnesota North Stars three games to one and St. Louis Blues four games to two until losing to the Vancouver Canucks in five games. Sutter's playoffs ended prematurely when he tripped on a coin tossed on the ice during game three of the North Stars series, suffering a separated shoulder and requiring surgery.
In the 1982–83 season the Chicago Black Hawks traded captain Terry Ruskowski to the Los Angeles Kings on October 24, and two months later coach Orval Tessier named Sutter team captain on December 10, 1982. Sutter finished 1982–83 with 31 goals and 30 assists in 80 games. In the 1983 Stanley Cup playoffs Sutter scored four goals and six assists as the Black Hawks defeated Brian Sutter's St. Louis Blues three games to one, and the Minnesota North Stars four games to one, and eventually fell to the Edmonton Oilers in Conference finals in a four-game sweep. Sutter played through the playoffs with broken ribs.
In the 1983–84 season Sutter played 59 games due to injury while scoring 20 goals and 20 assists. Sutter missed a number of games after he was struck in the face by a deflected slapshot in a January 2 game against the Minnesota North Stars. Sutter's left eye was knocked from the socket and he was rushed to the hospital where he spent four days recovering before returning to Chicago for surgery, and was out for six weeks. While in the Minnesota hospital, Sutter was visited daily by North Stars' head coach Glen Sonmor who suffered a career-ending injury under similar circumstances in 1954. The Black Hawks finished the season with a record of 30–42–8 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games against the Minnesota North Stars.
In the 1984–85 season Sutter played 49 games due to injury while scoring 20 goals and 18 assists. Before the start of the season Sutter underwent knee surgery, and later in the season suffered a fractured ankle, and eventually fractured his ribs before the playoffs. In the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs Sutter scored 12 goals and 7 assists in 15 games as the Chicago Black Hawks swept the Detroit Red Wings in a three games, followed by a six-game victory over the Minnesota North Stars in which Sutter scored two overtime game-winning goals during the series. Finally the Black Hawks were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky, four games to two.
Once again in the 1985–86 season, Sutter failed to play a complete season, suiting up for 50 games once again due to injuries while scoring 17 goals and 10 assists. Sutter sat out the preseason with a knee injury and separated his shoulder in the November 14 game against the Quebec Nordiques. The Black Hawks finished the season 39–33–8 and fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a three-game sweep in the first round of the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Sutter's final NHL season came in 1986–87 where he scored eight goals and six assists in 44 games as the Chicago Blackhawks finished with a 29–37–14 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings in a four-game sweep. After the 1986–87 season Sutter announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 28. Sutter noted his ongoing injuries had played a part in his decision as he failed to play more than 60 games in the previous four seasons. Sutter had contemplated retirement for the previous two seasons, and his decision was made following a standing offer by the Black Hawks general manager Bob Pulford to provide him with a job in the organization two years earlier.
Over his 406-game NHL career, Sutter exclusively played for the Chicago Blackhawks franchise scoring 161 goals, and 118 assists totaling 279 points and 288 penalty minutes, in addition to 24 goals, 19 assists, and 26 penalty minutes in 51 Stanley Cup playoff games. Owing to his early retirement and injuries, Sutter's 406 games and 51 playoff games are both the lowest amongst the six Sutter brothers. Despite his low number of games Darryl averaged 0.397 goals per game, the highest amongst the Sutter brothers, slightly ahead of Brian's 0.389.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
Sutter began his coaching career with the Chicago Blackhawks after his retirement, becoming an assistant coach for the 1987–88 season under head coach Bob Murdoch. The Murdoch-led Blackhawks finished with a record of 30–41–9 and lost in the division semi-finals against the St. Louis Blues four games to one.Sutter got his first experience as a head coach with the International Hockey League when he was hired to coach the Blackhawks' farm team Saginaw Hawks for the 1988–89 season finishing with a 46–26–10 record and a loss in the first round of the playoffs. For the following season, he joined the Indianapolis Ice where he led the team to a 53–21–8 record and the Turner Cup as IHL champions. For his efforts, Sutter was awarded the IHL Commissioners' Trophy for the coach of the year.
Chicago Blackhawks
Following the 1989–90 IHL season Sutter returned to the Chicago Blackhawks, this time under head coach Mike Keenan in the role of an associate coach. Sutter served in the associate coach role for the 1990–91 and 1991–92 NHL seasons including the four-game sweep loss during the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Following the loss in the Stanley Cup Finals there was significant interest in Sutter as a head coach for the Los Angeles Kings. In June 1992 Mike Keenan stepped down as head coach and signed a new contract to remain the general manager of the Blackhawks, Keenan then allowed Sutter to negotiate with the Kings. The Blackhawks' owner Bill Wirtz and senior vice president Bob Pulford intervened preventing the Kings from continuing to negotiate with Sutter and followed through on an earlier promise to hire Sutter as the Blackhawks head coach. Shortly afterwards Sutter signed a three-year contract to become the Blackhawks head coach. Only a few months later in November Mike Keenan left the Blackhawks organization, claiming later that he quit and was not fired.
In Sutter's first season, he led Chicago to a first-place finish in the Norris Division—and the best record in the Campbell Conference—in 1992–93 with a 47–25–12 record, only to be swept in the opening playoff round by the St. Louis Blues, which featured his brother Rich on the team.
In the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, he led Chicago to a 24–19–5 record and the Western Conference Finals falling to the Detroit Red Wings. Sutter's contract was set to expire following the 1994–95 season and he was offered an extension before the start of the playoffs which he rejected. On June 20 Sutter announced he would step away from hockey and return home to the family farm in Viking, Alberta. The decision was largely made out of necessity for him to be with his son, Christopher, who has Down syndrome.