Sutter says players should be police their own game
Darryl Sutter, a member of one of the most famous families in NHL history, recalls a time when the players took matters into their own hands. A time when the players policed the game themselves.
"Now when you back your teammates up, you get penalized for it," the Calgary Flames general manager said wistfully as his team went through the paces at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "Before, it was the code of honor. There’s little guys that run around now, that 20 years ago, they would have been dead. They wouldn’t have gotten away with it."
Sutter’s comments come in the wake of an open-ice bodycheck on Sunday on his nephew, Brandon that has ignited debate over shots to the head in the NHL. The hit from New York Islanders veteran Doug Weight — viewed 151,469 times and counting on YouTube — left the Carolina Hurricanes rookie in the intensive care unit of a New York hospital with a concussion.
After spending the night in hospital, doctors ordered the former Canadian junior to stay away from airplanes for the time being. The 19-year-old slept at his dad’s condo on Sunday night before taking the train on Monday from New York City to Raleigh.
Brandon is the son of Brent Sutter, head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
"My brothers’ boys are like our boys," said Darryl Sutter, who texted Brandon three times on the night he went down. "He’s got a concussion, so he’s a little foggy. But you know what? He’ll go through the protocol, and he’ll be fine.”
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