Al Arbor often told young Brent Sutter not to play with a chip on his shoulder.
The Islanders already had one Sutter among the team leaders in penalty time, so there was no need for another Sutter to do the same.
Arbor told Sutter that he could be like Stan Mikita, the Blackhawks' Hall of Fame centerman. He regularly led the league in penalty minutes early in his career, but he has since lost weight and reached his full potential.
“Once that message was said and Brent accepted it, he became a complete player,” Duane Sutter said last week before flying to Long Island to watch his brother Brent be inducted into the Islanders Hall of Fame. told the Post by phone. “Brent took the reins off that game style a little bit and focused more on being a solid two-way player.”
Brent Sutter, who was honored before Saturday's 4-1 win over the Sharks and was added to the Islanders' new Ring of Honor at UBS Arena, has accomplished more than just being a solid two-way player. Ta.
He was an integral part of two of the Islanders' four Stanley Cup championship teams, serving as team captain from 1987 to 1991 and being a 100-point scorer from 1984 to 1985. .
Brent and Duane Sutter are also one of only 10 brothers to win a Stanley Cup together, and both cherish that bond.
“That's what you expect when you're a player, right?” Brent Sutter said on a Zoom call after his appointment was announced in November. “And you won't realize how great it was to play with your brothers and win a Stanley Cup until it's over.” [together]. And not just for one year, but for two years. ”
Sutter is the 16th player to be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame, and the first since the team moved from Nassau Coliseum.
At 62 years old, he still works in hockey as the owner and general manager of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels, and the Sutter family includes five brothers who made it to the NHL, with Darryl continuing his playing career. He went on to become a Stanley Cup-winning coach. Hockey royalty.
He said he was thrilled to hear from Lou Lamoriello, who coached the Devils from 2007 to 2009, during the initial announcement.
“Obviously, it means a lot,” Sutter said. “It's hard to explain. Any time you get inducted into an event like this, it's a significant accomplishment and I understand that and I'm aware of that.”
Simon Holmstrom (upper body) and Alexander Romanov (upper body) returned to the lineup for Saturday's game and played their normal minutes, with Romanov returning to the top pair and Holmstrom to the third line.
With Maxim Tsyplakov suspended, Mark Gakom returns from Bridgeport to fill a spot on the roster.
