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The Sutter family, originally from Viking, Alberta, Canada, are one of the most famous families in the National Hockey League (NHL). Six brothers: Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron, reached the NHL in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Four brothers, Brent, Brian, Darryl and Duane, have gone on to become coaches and general managers as well, with Brian, Brent and Darryl, each having a stint as head coach of the Calgary Flames. All brothers played for either the Chicago Blackhawks or the St. Louis Blues at one point or another. A seventh brother named Gary is said by his brothers to have been the best hockey player of all seven boys. 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.
The first generation of Sutters had at least one brother playing in the NHL for 24 seasons – from 1976–77 to 2000–01 (with all six playing from 1982–83 to 1986–87). 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). Darryl has reached the Cup finals three times as head coach, winning the Cup twice. The second generation of Sutters has reached the NHL, as Brandon Sutter, Brody Sutter and Brett Sutter were members of the Carolina Hurricanes organization for a few seasons.
The brothers' father, Louis John Sutter, died on February 10, 2005, at the age of 73, following a lengthy illness. 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.[1][2]