Six brothers: Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron, reached the NHL in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Rather than making his living as a hockey player, Gary stayed home to work on the family farm, as Rich remarked on an episode of the Canadian sports show Off the Record.
Collectively, the Sutter brothers played nearly 5,000 games and won six Stanley Cups (with Duane on four Cup-winning teams from 1980 to 1983, joined by Brent for the 1982 and 1983 championships).
Many established hockey figures attended his funeral, including then-Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe, then-Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, Mike Keenan, Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald and a busload of players from the Calgary Flames.
A seventh brother, Gary, who was the oldest, was offered a tryout with the Rustlers at the same time Brian was; however, he declined, choosing not to pursue a career playing hockey professionally.
Brian was the director of pro personnel for the Calgary Flames organization until he took the head coaching position with the Bentley Generals of the Chinook Hockey League.
He also became the first coach to lead Canada to consecutive gold medals at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which he did in 2005 and 2006.
[4] Ron Sutter was the highest draft pick of the family, taken 4th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1982 – six spots ahead of his twin brother Rich.
Since 2011, he has been employed by the Red Deer Rebels, first as senior scout, then promoted to assistant general manager in 2013.
Sharks, then went on to captain his uncle Brent's Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League while playing with his cousin Brandon.
He made his NHL debut on December 23, 2008, playing against the Anaheim Ducks, and scored a goal while being named the game's third star.
He was signed by the Minnesota Wild to a two-year, two-way contract on July 1, 2014, and on February 29, 2016, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings (the team where his father coached) for Scott Sabourin.
Prior to his retirement on July 15, 2024, Sutter would play in 1150 regular-season professional hockey games, with 1090 of them in the AHL, the fourth most of any player in the league's history.
[5][6] Immediately following his retirement announcement, the Wranglers would name Sutter as an assistant coach for the 2024–25 AHL season.
[5] Brandon Sutter, Brent's son, played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks.
He also played under his father Brent as a junior with the Red Deer Rebels and Team Canada at the 2007 Super Series.
Brody Sutter, Duane's son, is as of 2021 signed to the Vienna Capitals in the Erste Bank Hockey League.
He previously played for the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL), Charlotte Checkers (AHL), Florida Everblades (ECHL), Iserlohn Roosters (DEL), Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL), Saskatoon Blades (WHL) and Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL).
He split the 2014–15 season between their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and their lower ECHL team, the Stockton Thunder.