Darryl Sutter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darryl Sutter
Sutter in 2014
Born	(1958-08-19) August 19, 1958 (age 66) Viking, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Chicago Blackhawks
Coached for	Chicago Blackhawks San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Los Angeles Kings
NHL Draft	179th overall, 1978 Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career	1979–1987
Coaching career	1987–2023

Darryl John Sutter (born August 19, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He recently coached the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL). Darryl is one of seven Sutter brothers, and six of them played in the NHL.

As a player, Sutter was known for his hard work and tough style. He played over 400 games and was the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks for five years. Injuries made him retire from playing at age 28.

After playing, Sutter became a coach. He coached the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings. He led the Kings to win the Stanley Cup twice, in 2012 and 2014. He is the winningest coach in the Kings' history. He also worked for the Flames as both a coach and general manager. He rejoined the Flames in 2021 for his second time as head coach.

Playing Hockey: Darryl's Early Years

Darryl Sutter grew up playing hockey in Viking, Alberta. Like his brother Brian Sutter, he learned from former NHL player and coach Clem Loughlin.

Sutter started playing for the Red Deer Rustlers in 1974. He scored many points, leading the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in scoring one season. He then played for the Lethbridge Broncos in the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL).

Even with his strong play, Sutter was picked late in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Black Hawks. He felt sad and thought he might not make it to the NHL. He even played in Japan for a season before returning to North America. He then played for the New Brunswick Hawks in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's best rookie.

Playing for the Chicago Blackhawks

Sutter joined the NHL in the 1979–80 season with the Chicago Black Hawks. He scored his first NHL goal in December 1979. In his first playoff games, he scored three goals.

His first full season in 1980–81 was amazing. He scored a career-high 40 goals and had 62 points. He even scored a hattrick against the Edmonton Oilers. He finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL's best rookie.

In the 1981–82 season, injuries shortened his playing time. However, he was healthy for the playoffs. His playoffs ended early when he suffered a serious shoulder injury.

In the 1982–83 season, Darryl Sutter became the captain of the Chicago Black Hawks. He played 80 games, scoring 31 goals and 30 assists. He played through the playoffs with broken ribs, showing his toughness.

The 1983–84 season was also affected by injuries. In one game, a deflected shot hit him in the face, knocking his left eye out of its socket. He needed surgery and was out for six weeks. Despite this, he returned to play.

Sutter continued to battle injuries in the 1984–85 season, playing only 49 games. He had knee surgery, a fractured ankle, and fractured ribs. In the playoffs, he scored 12 goals and helped the Black Hawks reach the Conference Finals.

His final NHL season was 1986–87. He played 44 games and then retired at age 28. He said his many injuries made it hard to keep up with the faster NHL game. He didn't want to just "hang on" if he couldn't play his best.

Darryl Sutter played 406 NHL games, all for the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored 161 goals and 118 assists for 279 points. He also played in 51 playoff games. Even with fewer games than his brothers, he had the highest average goals per game among them.

Darryl Sutter's Coaching Journey

Sutter started his coaching career right after retiring from playing. He became an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1987–88.

He got his first head coaching job in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Saginaw Hawks. The next season, he coached the Indianapolis Ice to win the Turner Cup, which is the IHL championship. He also won the IHL Commissioners' Trophy as Coach of the Year.

Coaching the Chicago Blackhawks

After his IHL success, Sutter returned to the Chicago Blackhawks as an associate coach. He was part of the team that reached the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 1992, Sutter became the head coach of the Blackhawks. In his first season, 1992–93, he led Chicago to a great record, finishing first in their division. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

In the shortened 1994–95 season, he led Chicago to the Western Conference Finals. After this season, Sutter decided to step away from hockey. He wanted to be home with his son, Christopher, who has Down syndrome.

Coaching the San Jose Sharks

After two years away, Sutter returned to the NHL in 1997–98 as head coach of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had a tough season before he arrived. In his first year, he helped them improve and make the playoffs.

He continued to improve the Sharks' record each season. In the 1999–2000 season, the Sharks won their first playoff series in seven games against the St. Louis Blues. In the 2001–02 season, the Sharks finished first in their division.

Sutter's time with the Sharks ended in December 2002 when he was fired after 24 games into the 2002–03 season. This was the first time in his career as a player or coach that he didn't make the playoffs.

First Time Coaching the Calgary Flames

Just four weeks after leaving San Jose, Sutter became the head coach of the Calgary Flames in December 2002. In April 2003, he also became the Flames' general manager.

In his first full season, 2003–04, Sutter led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in many years. He made a great trade, getting goalie Mikka Kiprusoff, who played a huge part in their success. The Flames surprised everyone by beating three higher-ranked teams in the playoffs before losing in seven games in the Finals. The next season, the entire NHL season was canceled.

Sutter at the 2006 NHL Awards

In the 2005 off-season, Sutter drafted his son, Brett Sutter, in the same draft spot he was picked in 1978.

Sutter's last season as head coach of the Flames was 2005–06. The team finished first in their division but lost in the first round of the playoffs. In July 2006, Sutter stepped down as head coach to focus only on being the general manager. He said it was hard to do both jobs at once.

As general manager, Sutter hired Mike Keenan as head coach in 2007, and later his younger brother Brent Sutter in 2009. On December 28, 2010, Sutter resigned as the Flames' general manager.

Coaching the Los Angeles Kings

On December 17, 2011, the Los Angeles Kings hired Sutter as their new head coach during the season. It was the second time general manager Dean Lombardi hired him. Sutter quickly turned the team around. He led the Kings to the 2012 playoffs as the last seed in the Western Conference.

In an amazing playoff run, the Kings beat the top three teams in their conference. They then defeated the New Jersey Devils to win their first Stanley Cup in team history! They set records, including winning ten straight road games in the playoffs.

In the 2012–13 shortened season, the Kings reached the Western Conference finals. In the 2013–14 season, the Kings had another incredible playoff run. They came back from being down 3-0 in their first series to win four games in a row, which is very rare in hockey. They then won two more tough series to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They defeated the New York Rangers to win their second Stanley Cup in three years! The Kings played 26 playoff games that year, the most ever for a Stanley Cup champion.

The Kings missed the playoffs in 2014–15, which was unusual for a defending champion. They made the playoffs in 2015–16 but lost in the first round.

In 2016–17, the Kings missed the playoffs again. On April 10, 2017, Sutter was let go as coach. In June 2018, he announced his retirement from coaching and returned to his farm.

Second Time Coaching the Calgary Flames

On March 4, 2021, Sutter was hired again as head coach of the Flames. He worked to improve the team's playing style. The Flames did not make the playoffs that season.

The 2021–22 season was very successful for the Flames. Many people said Sutter was a big reason for their improvement. The Flames won 50 games, finishing first in their division. Sutter won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the league for the first time. His brother Brian presented him with the award. The Flames lost in the second round of the playoffs.

On May 1, 2023, Sutter was fired by the Flames after they missed the playoffs.

Darryl Sutter's Hockey Style

Playing Style

Darryl Sutter was known as a tough, competitive, and hard-working player. He played with great effort, even though he wasn't the biggest or most naturally skilled player. He was good at slowing down faster opponents and could still score goals, like his 40-goal season. The Sutter brothers learned their tough and competitive nature from growing up together and playing hard. Darryl once said, "None of us has that much ability...we just relied on effort."

Because of his hard work and understanding of the game, the Chicago Blackhawks made him captain at just 24 years old. He was known for speaking up in practices, pointing out mistakes to his teammates.

Even though he had strong early seasons, injuries started to affect his play. He had many injuries and surgeries for his ankle, knee, shoulder, ribs, and face. Despite this, he sometimes said he played better when he was hurt because it made him more determined. A teammate once said, "(Darryl) does more hurt than most guys do healthy."

When he retired, Sutter said he couldn't keep up with the bigger and faster NHL anymore. He was so competitive that he didn't want to stay if he couldn't play at his best.

Coaching and Management Style

Famous hockey commentator Don Cherry once ranked Sutter as one of the most successful NHL head coaches. Cherry said Sutter can inspire teams with less skill to beat more talented opponents. Sutter's coaching plan focuses on strong goaltending, good team defense, and forwards who play well on both offense and defense. He has had great goalies on his teams, like Miikka Kiprusoff in Calgary and Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles, who helped win Stanley Cups.

Sutter's teams play like he did as a player: physical, aggressive, and with a strong work ethic. He expects these qualities from his players and will bench or trade those who don't meet his standards. His teams are known for being tough and hard to play against. This was very clear during the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Kings' physical play helped them win the Stanley Cup.

However, Sutter's coaching style has also received some criticism. Some former players said he could be difficult and had a temper when games weren't going well. His departure from the Kings came after reports that players were tired of his style. Because of his serious personality and his cattle ranch, he was sometimes jokingly called "The Jolly Rancher."

As a general manager, Sutter had less success. Many of the players he drafted for the Calgary Flames did not play many NHL games.

Darryl Sutter's Life Outside Hockey

Darryl Sutter was born on August 19, 1958, in Viking, Alberta. His parents, Louis and Grace, were farmers. Darryl was the third of seven brothers. His family didn't have many luxuries; they got electricity and indoor plumbing when Darryl was nine years old.

Sutter met his wife, Wanda, playing softball. They have three children: Brett, Jessie, and Christopher, who has Down syndrome. Sutter built his home next to his parents' farm, where he raises cattle.

In 1997, during a break from coaching, Sutter fell from 12 feet while working on his farm. He fractured his skull and broke his shoulder blade.

In 1996, the Sutter brothers started The Sutter Fund. This group raises money for family and child organizations in Central Alberta.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Head Coaching Record

NHL

IHL

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