Darryl Sutter - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Sutter began his coaching career in the International Hockey League, where he coached the Saginaw Hawks and led the Indianapolis Ice to the Turner Cup.

He was the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for three seasons and also served as Chicago’s assistant coach in 1987-88 and as associate coach from 1990-92. He led Chicago to a first-place finish in the Norris Division -- and the best record in the Campbell Conference -- in 1992-93 with a 47-25-12 record (106 points). The following season he led Chicago to the Western Conference Finals.

Sutter was the head coach of the San Jose Sharks for parts of six seasons (1997-98 through the start of the 2002-03 season). He was relieved of his duties with the Sharks on December 1, 2002.

Sutter was hired as head coach by the Calgary Flames, December 28, 2003. After the 2003–04 season, he took over as general manager of the Flames, in addition to his duties as head coach.

On July 12, 2006, Sutter stepped down as the Flames head coach. He has said that he found it difficult to handle the jobs of both head coach and GM of the Flames. Sutter compiled a 107–73–26 record in two-plus seasons behind the Calgary bench, joining the Flames after head coaching stints in Chicago and San Jose. The Flames promoted Jim Playfair as Sutter's replacement, but after a first-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2006–07, Sutter hired Mike Keenan as head coach, with Playfair stepping back into an associate coaching role. Keenan was fired a month after the Flames were eliminated from the 2008–09 NHL playoffs at the hands of the Blackhawks. Brent Sutter, former coach of the New Jersey Devils, was selected as the new Flames coach in June 2009. On December 28, 2010, Sutter resigned as the General Manager of the Calgary Flames.

On December 17, 2011, the Kings hired Sutter mid-season as head coach, after the dismissal of his predecessor Terry Murray. His first game with the Kings was a December 22, 2011, shootout victory over rival Anaheim Ducks. Sutter led the Kings to a 25-13-11 mark in 49 games, finished third in the Pacific Division, and entered the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they beat the 1st seed Vancouver Canucks, 2nd seed St. Louis Blues, and 3rd seed Phoenix Coyotes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, the only team to accomplish that feat in the 119 year history of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Kings went on to defeat the New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 2 to give LA their first Stanley Cup in the 45 year history of the franchise. The Kings set several records during the playoffs winning 10 straight games on the road, and being the first team to go 3-0 in each of their playoff series.