In addition to the Flames, Sutter has served as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings.

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.

[4][5] 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 (AHL) 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.

[7][8] 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.

[15] 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.

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,[19][20] and was out for six weeks.

[14] 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.

Finally the Black Hawks were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky, four games to two.

[14] 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.

[23] 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.

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.

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.

In his debut season, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov won 32 games with the fourth-ranked goals against average at 2.19, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy.

As general manager, Sutter acquired San Jose goalie Mikka Kiprusoff for a second-round pick on November 16, 2003, after starting goaltender Roman Turek suffered an injury.

[43][44] En route to the Stanley Cup Finals, where Calgary ultimately lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flames defeated three higher-ranked opponents in the Western Conference playoff bracket including the third seed Vancouver Canucks, the Presidents' Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings and second seed San Jose Sharks.

The team was propelled by strong performances by rookie defenseman Dion Phaneuf, captain Jarome Iginla, and Vezina Trophy winner Mikka Kiprusoff.

[50] Sutter made a number of changes to the roster before the season, bringing in players with size and grit in Adrian Aucoin, Owen Nolan, Cory Sarich, Anders Eriksson and re-signing Wayne Primeau.

[51] The bigger and tougher Flames led by Mike Keenan finished the season 42–30–10, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Jose Sharks four games to three.

[56] With the addition of Brent the Flames employed four of the Sutter brothers, with Duane the director of player personnel in 2008,[57] and Ron the western pro scout.

[59] On December 17, 2011, the Los Angeles Kings hired Sutter mid-season as the team's new head coach after the dismissal of Terry Murray.

The Kings started the playoffs against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, dropping the first three games, then winning the remaining four to become only the fourth team in NHL history to complete a reverse-sweep.

[82][83] Sutter mastered a hardnose type of hockey to slow down faster and more skilled players while still providing scoring capability evidenced by his 40-goal first NHL season.

[83] Sutter's hard nose and gritty style expected players to outwork their opponents and play "old-fashioned playoff hockey" throughout the season.

The combination of high work ethic and understanding of the game led the Chicago Blackhawks to name Sutter team Captain at the age of 24, only partway through his third full NHL season.

Sutter only played more than 60 games in two of his seven NHL seasons, owing to multiple injuries and surgeries for his ankle, knee, shoulder, ribs, and face after taking a deflected slapshot.

[14] On the date of his retirement Sutter noted he was unable to keep up with the bigger and faster NHL and owing to his competitiveness stated "I don't want to be a hanger-on".

[85] Cherry describes Sutter as an inspirational figure who is capable of motivating inferiorly skilled teams into overcoming more talented opponents.

Sutter's teams are built in the mold of his career as a player: physical, aggressive, willing to fight, and exhibiting a strong work ethic.

[91] Sutter met his wife Wanda in a recreational softball league; they have three children, Brett, Jessie, and Christopher, who has Downs Syndrome.

[94][95] During his hiatus from coaching professional hockey in February 1997, Sutter fell from a height of 12 feet while doing repairs on the farm and suffered a skull fracture and a broken shoulder blade.