"Everybody's friend": Ex-Flames coach Sutter shares Gaudreau memories
Darryl Sutter spent less than two full seasons coaching Johnny Gaudreau with the Calgary Flames, but it’s clear that the late NHL star had a major impact on his former bench boss.
Though both Sutter and Gaudreau have been known for being short of words in different ways, the two seemed to form one of the game’s best player-coach duos in their short time working together.
While at a Toronto Blue Jays game with his son Chris, Sutter told Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell of his memories with Gaudreau.
“He was everybody’s friend.”
Darryl and Chris Sutter join the broadcast to discuss the impact Johnny Gaudreau had on them and the hockey community. pic.twitter.com/x1Jc3Y3yYF
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 4, 2024
“He was everybody’s friend. He loved the game, he loved sports, he was a hockey player… our family was hockey, his family was hockey. It’s a terrible, terrible tragedy. When we got that horrible news, you’re sick to your stomach. [The Gaudreau family are big baseball fans]… I was thinking about them during the game last night,” the elder Sutter shared.
Sutter and five of his brothers played in the NHL before he began a lengthy NHL coaching career. Meanwhile, three second-generation Sutters have also gone on to play in the league.
Gaudreau, who was killed last week along with his brother, Matthew, by a suspected drunk driver, played under Sutter in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns. Matthew played at Boston College alongside his elder brother, before then going on to play in the ECHL and AHL for four seasons, last playing in 2022.
“He’s a great guy, he’s great for charity, and he was [always] doing his best,” the younger Sutter added about Johnny.
Gaudreau had his best individual season in his final year under Sutter in Calgary, scoring 40 goals and 115 points before leaving the Flames for the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency.
Sutter was fired one season after Gaudreau left, with the team missing the playoffs one year after a 111-point campaign.