Ask those who've played with or against
Gary Suter and the terms "underrated" or "underappreciated" are likely to come up a few times.
"His demeanor off the ice is the same exact way it was on the ice. He doesn't like attention and he was the same type of player. He just did his job and didn't want the attention. He'd rather be in a deer blind than the public eye. That's just who he is."
-- Chris Chelios on Gary Suter
Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1989 with the
Calgary Flames, playing 1,145 games over 17 NHL seasons and racking up 844 points (203 goals and 641 assists), Suter still gets a little lost in the shuffle in a discussion about great defensemen.
"He was just an all-around good defenseman," said
Trent Yawney, who played with Suter in Calgary. "When you mention his name, the first thing that comes to mind is 'underrated,' because he didn't get a lot of notoriety like some of the other guys -- but he was every bit as good as the ones who did."
On Monday in Chicago, that will change.
Suter will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame along with good friend and former defense partner
Chris Chelios, star power forward
Keith Tkachuk, legendary announcer Mike Emrick and
Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider. Earlier this week, Suter spent some time with NHL.com talking about his impressive, though somewhat unheralded, hockey career and the pending induction.
