| ARTICLES |
| DARRYL SUTTER'S SUMMERTIME CAREER CHOICE IN JAPAN Evan Weiner | NHL.com correspondent | 06/27/07 |
Summer is often decision time for young hockey players who are finished with either their junior or college careers and might not have
what it takes to attract NHL attention.
Just because a player doesn't get an invite to an NHL training camp doesn't mean that his NHL chances are done. It just means that
the road to the NHL is a little longer and, in some cases, might be a bit more interesting.
Believe it or not, Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter didn't have what it took to get an NHL deal after he was done playing in
junior. Sutter was an 11th-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1978 draft, which really meant that Sutter had very little chance
of ever donning a Blackhawks uniform in a regular-season game.
Sutter decided that his best career move would be to forego signing with Chicago and try his luck elsewhere.
In Sutter's case, that elsewhere was in Japan. He signed with Iwakura Tomakomai of the Japan National League and for Sutter, it was
the best career move imaginable.
After all, Sutter had just one complete season in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Broncos. While he produced some
big numbers -- 33 goals and 81 points in 68 games -- it was just one year, not three or four, and being drafted in the 11th round didn't
help with more than 200 players selected ahead of him.
Sutter was inexperienced and small and was never thought of as an NHL prospect. Eleventh-round picks are long shots, at best, even
to survive a training camp, much less play an NHL game.
So it was off to Japan, which is a slightly different place than Louis and Grace Sutter's Viking, Alberta farm. Sutter left behind his
brothers Gary, Brian (who was in the NHL at that point in St. Louis) and his younger siblings Duane, Brent, Ron and Rich. He was
going to a new country, one without much of a hockey history and a decidedly different culture, determined to make the best of the
situation.
"I was fortunate at a young age after I was drafted to play overseas," Sutter said. "When you are 20-years-old … it was a good
adventure for me."
Going to Japan meant a totally different culture, including learning a new language. But according to Sutter, hockey is hockey, whether
it played in Lethbridge, Chicago or Tokyo.
"It was no different than any place else to be quite honest," he said. "There are boys that go to Europe and all over and go to countries
with different cultures and different languages and lots of people in a small place."
There is a slight difference though in how players get paid in Japan than in other countries. American baseball players who have
played in the Japanese major leagues have often talked about something called "fight" money that they were discreetly given. The
baseball practice was simple, if a player performed well, he would find an envelope stuffed with money left in his locker by someone.
Sutter also got envelopes left in his locker by someone when he did well.
"I got money in envelopes," Sutter said with a laugh in his voice.
While the practice is called "fight money" there was no fighting in Japanese hockey back in 1978, which actually cramped Sutter style.
All six Sutters who played in the NHL were tough, hard-nosed players who never backed down.
"No, Japan is not ... hockey did not include violence," he said. "I think there was hitting, but there was no fighting. To be quite honest it
was like typical European hockey. Then I came back and played one year in the American Hockey League and the next year I scored 40
goals in the NHL (with Chicago).
”I would be hard to say it didn't help me."
Sutter had a great season in Japan, scoring 28 goals and assisting on 13 others and accumulating 41 points, leading the league in
each category. He was named the most outstanding rookie as well.
"I was one of the first Canadians to go overseas and then to come back and play in the National Hockey League," he said. "It was a big
change (playing in Japan). Quite honestly, the language barrier was the toughest part. Yeah, I did (learn a few Japanese words) but I
can't remember any of it now. Each team could have two imports, so there was one more, an American on our team."
Sutter returned to North America after the Japan league season was through and signed a deal with the Blackhawks and ended up
finishing the season with Chicago's AHL development team in New Brunswick. In 19 games, he scored seven goals and had 13
points.
The following season, Sutter spent most of the season with New Brunswick tallying 35 goals and finishing up with 66 points. He also
played eight games with Chicago that season and got his first two NHL goals. Sutter became the first player ever to win the Rookie of
the Year Award in Japan and then the American Hockey League's Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the Rookie of the Year. He
was also a second team All-Star that year.
In his first full NHL season (1980-81), Sutter led the Blackhawks with 40 goals. Sutter had come out of nowhere and became a star.
The next season he had 23 goals in an injury-shorten season. He became the captain of the Blackhawks in 1982.
Sutter retains a fondness for Japan. He returned to the country in October 1998 when the San Jose Sharks played the Calgary Flames
in two regular-season games in Tokyo. Sutter was coaching the Sharks.
"Calgary and San Jose, we played two games over there to start the season and it was nice to go back," he said.
Sutter was a major part of the Blackhawks’ arsenal in the 1980s, but injuries took a toll and Sutter was done by 1987 as a player. He
went onto coach and is now the Flames’ general manager.
The NHL finally had a Japanese player last season when goaltender Yukata Fukufuji debuted with the Los Angeles Kings.
Japan has had professional hockey for years and some players, like Sutter and formed Edmonton Oilers defenseman Randy Gregg,
have spent a year or two honing their craft in the country. The NHL also has played some regular-season games in Tokyo and Japan
also hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, so there is some hockey history there, but it remains a developing hockey country.
Sutter acknowledges all sorts of cultural differences between North America and Japan, but there seems to be one area of
commonality in the game of hockey in North America, Europe and Japan -- the on-ice officials.
“The officiating there is probably the same that it is here,” Sutter said. “You might say it’s really good or really bad. It depends on the
night and who you get.”
what it takes to attract NHL attention.
Just because a player doesn't get an invite to an NHL training camp doesn't mean that his NHL chances are done. It just means that
the road to the NHL is a little longer and, in some cases, might be a bit more interesting.
Believe it or not, Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter didn't have what it took to get an NHL deal after he was done playing in
junior. Sutter was an 11th-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1978 draft, which really meant that Sutter had very little chance
of ever donning a Blackhawks uniform in a regular-season game.
Sutter decided that his best career move would be to forego signing with Chicago and try his luck elsewhere.
In Sutter's case, that elsewhere was in Japan. He signed with Iwakura Tomakomai of the Japan National League and for Sutter, it was
the best career move imaginable.
After all, Sutter had just one complete season in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Broncos. While he produced some
big numbers -- 33 goals and 81 points in 68 games -- it was just one year, not three or four, and being drafted in the 11th round didn't
help with more than 200 players selected ahead of him.
Sutter was inexperienced and small and was never thought of as an NHL prospect. Eleventh-round picks are long shots, at best, even
to survive a training camp, much less play an NHL game.
So it was off to Japan, which is a slightly different place than Louis and Grace Sutter's Viking, Alberta farm. Sutter left behind his
brothers Gary, Brian (who was in the NHL at that point in St. Louis) and his younger siblings Duane, Brent, Ron and Rich. He was
going to a new country, one without much of a hockey history and a decidedly different culture, determined to make the best of the
situation.
"I was fortunate at a young age after I was drafted to play overseas," Sutter said. "When you are 20-years-old … it was a good
adventure for me."
Going to Japan meant a totally different culture, including learning a new language. But according to Sutter, hockey is hockey, whether
it played in Lethbridge, Chicago or Tokyo.
"It was no different than any place else to be quite honest," he said. "There are boys that go to Europe and all over and go to countries
with different cultures and different languages and lots of people in a small place."
There is a slight difference though in how players get paid in Japan than in other countries. American baseball players who have
played in the Japanese major leagues have often talked about something called "fight" money that they were discreetly given. The
baseball practice was simple, if a player performed well, he would find an envelope stuffed with money left in his locker by someone.
Sutter also got envelopes left in his locker by someone when he did well.
"I got money in envelopes," Sutter said with a laugh in his voice.
While the practice is called "fight money" there was no fighting in Japanese hockey back in 1978, which actually cramped Sutter style.
All six Sutters who played in the NHL were tough, hard-nosed players who never backed down.
"No, Japan is not ... hockey did not include violence," he said. "I think there was hitting, but there was no fighting. To be quite honest it
was like typical European hockey. Then I came back and played one year in the American Hockey League and the next year I scored 40
goals in the NHL (with Chicago).
”I would be hard to say it didn't help me."
Sutter had a great season in Japan, scoring 28 goals and assisting on 13 others and accumulating 41 points, leading the league in
each category. He was named the most outstanding rookie as well.
"I was one of the first Canadians to go overseas and then to come back and play in the National Hockey League," he said. "It was a big
change (playing in Japan). Quite honestly, the language barrier was the toughest part. Yeah, I did (learn a few Japanese words) but I
can't remember any of it now. Each team could have two imports, so there was one more, an American on our team."
Sutter returned to North America after the Japan league season was through and signed a deal with the Blackhawks and ended up
finishing the season with Chicago's AHL development team in New Brunswick. In 19 games, he scored seven goals and had 13
points.
The following season, Sutter spent most of the season with New Brunswick tallying 35 goals and finishing up with 66 points. He also
played eight games with Chicago that season and got his first two NHL goals. Sutter became the first player ever to win the Rookie of
the Year Award in Japan and then the American Hockey League's Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the Rookie of the Year. He
was also a second team All-Star that year.
In his first full NHL season (1980-81), Sutter led the Blackhawks with 40 goals. Sutter had come out of nowhere and became a star.
The next season he had 23 goals in an injury-shorten season. He became the captain of the Blackhawks in 1982.
Sutter retains a fondness for Japan. He returned to the country in October 1998 when the San Jose Sharks played the Calgary Flames
in two regular-season games in Tokyo. Sutter was coaching the Sharks.
"Calgary and San Jose, we played two games over there to start the season and it was nice to go back," he said.
Sutter was a major part of the Blackhawks’ arsenal in the 1980s, but injuries took a toll and Sutter was done by 1987 as a player. He
went onto coach and is now the Flames’ general manager.
The NHL finally had a Japanese player last season when goaltender Yukata Fukufuji debuted with the Los Angeles Kings.
Japan has had professional hockey for years and some players, like Sutter and formed Edmonton Oilers defenseman Randy Gregg,
have spent a year or two honing their craft in the country. The NHL also has played some regular-season games in Tokyo and Japan
also hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, so there is some hockey history there, but it remains a developing hockey country.
Sutter acknowledges all sorts of cultural differences between North America and Japan, but there seems to be one area of
commonality in the game of hockey in North America, Europe and Japan -- the on-ice officials.
“The officiating there is probably the same that it is here,” Sutter said. “You might say it’s really good or really bad. It depends on the
night and who you get.”
| Before playing for the Blackhawks, Darryl Sutter honed his skills in Japan. |
| In his first full NHL season, Sutter led the Blackhawks with 40 goals. |
