Brian Sutter is the eldest of the six Sutters who played in the NHL and was drafted by the Blues in 1976. Growing up in Alberta on a farm, the Sutters all pushed each other in everything they did, especially hockey. They weren't the most talented players but had an amazing work ethic that made them the grinders of success. Gary was the oldest of the boys, and the best according to his six brothers, but he left the game to help run the farm. He watched as Brian led the way to the NHL, paving the way for his siblings.
Brian played junior hockey in Red Deer and Lethbridge while also playing for team Canada at the 1975 World Junior Championships where he won a silver medal. He made his NHL debut in 1976-77 while splitting the year with the team's CHL affiliate in Kansas City. The next season, he was up with the Blues for good. Sutter became the team's captain in the 1979-80 season and held the captaincy until retiring as a player in 1988 to step behind the Blues' bench. Sutter played in three All-Star Games--1982, 1983, and 1985.
Sutter coached the Blues for four seasons and won the Jack Adams award as the league's best coach in 1991. He left St. Louis in 1992 and moved on to be the bench boss in Boston for three seasons. After taking two years off from coaching, Sutter moved back to Alberta to coach the Flames from 1997 to 2000. After another year away from coaching, Sutter followed in his brother Darryl's footsteps to coach the Blackhawks for the 2001-02 season.
The Sutter family is known in hockey circles as a group that promotes leadership, hard work and an honest work ethic that makes them one of hockey's great families.
