SportsHockeyFlames

Brian McGrattan shares hilarious story of ex-Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Jul 31 2025, 8:46 pm
Brian McGrattan shares hilarious story of ex-Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

Darryl Sutter was just as hard on his players during his first tenure with the Calgary Flames as he was in his most recent stint.

The 66-year-old, who has always been known for being a hard-nosed coach, was brought back in by the Flames in 2021, before being fired in 2023. By the time of his firing, many had soured on him due to his old-school techniques, which didn’t seem to resonate well in today’s era. Based on a recent story from former enforcer Brian McGrattan, he was the exact same person his first time around with the Flames.

McGrattan joined the Barn Burner podcast and explained how Sutter, who was then serving as the Flames GM, didn’t take too kindly to seeing his enforcer have a quick conversation with then-Ottawa Senators defenceman Christoph Schubert.

This conversation came during the morning skate of a game where McGrattan was being held out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. That didn’t seem to matter to Sutter, who was incensed with McGrattan chumming it up with the opposition.

Once McGrattan got off the ice, he was pulled into head coach Brent Sutter’s office for a chat with Sutter. Instead of being in the room, Sutter was on speaker phone and quickly asked McGrattan if he was indeed the Flames’ tough guy.

“I’m like, ‘Ya, I’m you’re tough guy,’ McGrattan responded. He’s like, ‘You’re our tough guy, and you’re out there cutting f*cking deals with the other team? You’re cutting deals with the other f*cking team in pregame skate and you’re our tough guy.’ I didn’t know how to answer. I’m looking at Brent, and [Sutter] is just going, ‘You’re cutting f*cking deals!’

“He just went off on me. I didn’t get a word out. I’m just sitting there looking at Brent’s cell phone, and I was so confused. I went back and got undressed. I couldn’t believe it.”

McGrattan and Rhett Warrener, a co-host of Barn Burner who also played for the Flames, joked afterward that this was a rule of Sutter’s, though the 6-foot-4 enforcer seemed to miss the memo.

“I didn’t get the warning,” said a laughing McGrattan.

Though many players did tend to grow tired of Sutter while playing under him, the way McGrattan and Warrener were laughing while discussing their time with him goes to show that all of these players, both former and current, have a lot of respect for the former Jack Adams Trophy winner.

While it’s unlikely we ever see him in the NHL again, there are likely many more great Sutter stories that we will all continue to hear in the years to come.

ADVERTISEMENT