Brent takes spill, picks up bill

During the morning skate today at RBC Center, Brandon Sutter took some ribbing from his Carolina Hurricanes teammates that he'd better be on his best behavior with his father, Devils coach Brent Sutter, watching from the stands. Brandon, a 19-year-old rookie for the Hurricanes, will be playing against his father's team tonight for the first time.

"They were all giving it to me, (saying), 'You've got to skate hard. Your dad is watching' and all of that stuff," Brandon said. "So it's a little different."

Brent Sutter said he didn't feel any similar pressure later in morning when he skated with assistant coaches Tommy Albelin and John MacLean, defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, who will be a healthy scratch tonight, and goaltender, Kevin Weekes. Brandon watched from the corner as dad wiped out and nearly hit his head on the ice during one of the drills. Brent was visibly embarrassed when he got up.

"The coaches told me (Brandon was watching)," Brent Sutter said. "I just have to make sure he doesn't play like me and he'll be fine."

Brent and Brandon had dinner together Monday night. Brent picked up the check.

"I let him do that," Brandon said. "Take him to a nice place and make him pay. That was my plan."

Brandon said they did not speak much about tonight's game during dinner.

"Not really," Brandon said. "We just kind of said, 'Good luck and play your game.' I know that's what I've got to do. I've just got to treat it like another game. It's a big game for both teams, so it's going to be a good one."

Players rarely pay attention to the opposing team's bench, but would Brandon be tempted to look over at the Devils' bench tonight to see what his father is doing.

"I don't know," Brandon said. "Once you get in the game, you're just worried about playing. I don't pay that much attention to anything else. Once I get out there, it will be like any other game. So, I'm going to treat it that way."

I asked Brandon who his mother would be rooting for tonight (she was in Raleight for Chistmas, but is back home in Red Deer now) and he said, "Hopefully me."

Dad took care of it.

"I told her to root for him," Brent said. "That's what she should be doing."

Brent clearly seemed uncomfortable with the idea of coaching against his son, but he'll have to get used to it. Tonight's game is the first of four meetings between the Devils and the Hurricanes this season.

"It's pretty unique," Brent Sutter said. "We know it's there, it's certainly weird in some way, but neither one of us is getting too caught up in it. I want Brandon to make sure he's focused on being a good player and helping their hockey team and I've got to do whatever I can to help our team as a coach. That's just the way it is I guess. I don't really know what to say about it because it's so new to us. I've coached him before, but I've never coached against him."

Brent admitted that he expects tonight's game to be tougher than it was to play against his brothers.

"To be quite honest, I feel like that as a dad," he said. "It's weird, it's different."

***

Weekes and Brookbank were the only players to skate this morning. The rest of the team was given the morning off. The lineup tonight will be the same as in Sunday's overtime win over Ottawa.

Sutter wasn't the only Devils' coach to get in on the action today on the ice. Goaltending coach Jacques Caron took Weekes' stick and blocker glove for a minute or so and steered aside a few straight-on shots from MacLean.

Comments

[Vishal]

lol did you take a video with your camera phone?

[JP]

I wonder if Brent Sutter would want to coach Brandon in the NHL. I know he admitted he was a little too tough on him in Red Deer.

[Maxwell]

Caron is such a bad A$$.

[Major Tom]

I can't imagine what Brent is going through. Both a wonderful and difficult situation for him. Here's hoping for a Devils win with a goal by Brandon.

[Mike]

Good to hear Jacques still has that fiery spirit at nearly 70

[Pearl Jammed]

i am sure Brandon had a chuckle or 2 about his dad taking a spill

[rinkrat]

It's kinda cool that Brent is being honest about how he's not sure he'll like coaching against his son, and not just giving bland quotes about being focused on the game and giving 110%. It's very human.

[Pat D'Amico]

Man that would suck if we played the Hurricanes in the playoffs.

[PariseScoresAgain]

yeah that playoffs series would cause Brent some sleep deprivation.

Could you imagine if we played them in the conference finals.. that would be pretty brutal for Sutter.

[jules]

(Brent) Sutter is awesome.