Brent Sutter Sets Sights on Gold Medal Repeat

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2005

By Lucas Aykroyd

There’s no shortage of highly qualified and motivated coaches in the CHL. Brent Sutter didn’t have to return behind the bench with Canada’s World Junior team for the second straight year. Really, what did he have left to prove after steering the 2005 team to a perfect record with a 41-7 goal differential? Much like Scotty Bowman with the 2002 Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, Sutter could have chosen to go out on top. But the 43-year-old Viking, Alberta native is as intensely competitive as the rest of his famous hockey family, and he’s embraced the challenge of leading Canada to what could be its first back-to-back golden performance since 1997. As an NHL player, Sutter won two Stanley Cups and three Canada Cups, proving he can succeed in any environment. Prospects Hockey recently caught up with the coach, GM, and owner of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels.

PH: People say, “This year’s World Junior team simply can’t be as good as last year’s.” How do you react to that?

Sutter: I think that’s reality. When you look at last year’s team, it was an elite group that had already played at the World Juniors at age 18. They grew together and continued as 19-year-olds last year. If there was NHL hockey last year, six, seven or eight of those players could have been there. So we’re in a similar situation to what they had two years ago at the World Juniors. This year, we’ll have some 18-year-olds on the team again. It’ll be a mix. [Hockey Canada chief scout] Blair MacKasey will get a feel for it as he scouts the junior leagues and sees some NCAA games. We’ll definitely have to be a very hard-working team.

PH: You likely won’t have any returning players. Where will the leadership come from?

Sutter: Well, there’s a chance we might have Cam Barker back. In all likelihood we’re not going to have Sidney Crosby back. That would be a real long shot. As far as our leadership goes, there are certain guys that our coaching staff had a pretty good feel for when we left Vancouver [after August’s development camp in Whistler]. There are areas where we need to be better, and hopefully here in the first half of the season, certain players will step up, and not just guys who were in camp. There are other players we’re considering, probably more so on goal and defense than up front.

PH: How much of an advantage is there for players who, say, have played at the World U18 tournament?

Sutter: Any time you have that experience, it’s an advantage when you get back into international competition. That said, if there’s someone who’s playing better than another guy who has international experience, then as far as our coaching staff is concerned, we want to take the best 22 players. There’ll be tough decisions to make. It’s just the way it is for Canadian teams.

PH: Last year’s final roster had 14 WHL players. Do you expect more representation from the OHL and QMJHL this year?

Sutter: Based on camp, you’re probably looking at more of an even playing field this year. When you look at last year’s roster, that was just the way things shook out. I don’t get caught up in what league players come from. If it so happens that the majority of players come from out West, Ontario, or Quebec, then so be it.

PH: The media coverage of this tournament will be as intense as it is in the Stanley Cup playoffs. When you factor in family, friends, and fans, how will you help your players handle the spotlight?

Sutter: The key thing is that we’re going there for one reason. Whether we’re playing in Canada, the USA, or anywhere else, our focus is to win. All the distractions have to be thrown out. It’ll be important for the coaching staff to handle that right as much as anything else. At appropriate times, the players will deal with the media. But we’re going to focus on what we need to do. We’ll be running a tight ship, just like last year.

PH: Which other teams do you see as the strongest contenders?

Sutter: All of them. I don’t think you should take anybody lightly. Every game you play is a do or die situation. It’s like Game Seven. You focus on that game and don’t worry about what’s ahead. It’s a process you have to go through, making sure you take care of short-term goals. You have to be as prepared as you can be for that night, whether it’s Russia, the USA, Switzerland, or whoever.

PH: Will it be hard to play as physically as your 2005 team?

Sutter: We won’t change our style of play. There’s a difference between being a hard-hitting hockey team and a team that’s involved in a lot of stick infraction penalties. In last year’s tournament, we took a lot of stick infraction penalties in the first couple of games. To me, that wasn’t disciplined hockey. But once we nailed that problem, suddenly in everyone’s mind we became a hard-hitting hockey team. To me, it’s about being a strong forechecking team and being responsible defensively, creating offense that way. You want to be a good skating team, but also play in-your-face hockey.

PH: As a player, you didn’t end up participating in the 1982 World Juniors. Why?

Sutter: I got called around early December that year and asked if I would play. At that point, I was pretty excited about it. It was going to be played partly in Winnipeg that year, and they mentioned they wanted to name me captain. Yet between then and the tournament, things changed. I got called up by the New York Islanders. So I had to make a decision. I sat down with the Islanders and they said if I wanted to go to the World Juniors, I could, but they would call me up permanently on January 4. What they said to me was pretty simple: “Brent, this could be your last Christmas at home. You’ve got to decide what to do.” I chose not to go to the World Juniors. I spent Christmas at home at the farm with Mom and Dad, and then played three or four more major junior games before the Islanders called me up. At that age, my number one priority was to play in the NHL. I’ve never regretted the decision I made.

PH: You had other tremendous international experiences.

Sutter: I was one of only four Canadian players who participated in the 1984, 1987, and 1991 Canada Cups, along with Gretzky, Messier, and Coffey. I was very fortunate to play in those situations, and to win also was huge. When you get in a situation like that and you have the Maple Leaf on the front of your jersey, it’s scary how you go out beyond what people might expect. It drives you.

PH: How will you prepare for this upcoming tournament along with fulfilling your duties in Red Deer?

Sutter: In my case, I’m not just leaving Red Deer as a coach during the tournament. I’m also leaving as the GM and owner. It’s like taking three people away from the hockey club. But it’s all about time management and surrounding yourself with good people. There are good people here in Red Deer and good people working in Hockey Canada. I rely on them a lot. When I get in there in December, my focus will be on Team Canada.