Gary Suter

Suter was part of a hockey family. Bob Suter, one of three hockey-playing older brothers, was a defenseman on the "Miracle on Ice" United States team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. His father, Marlow Suter, helped establish the Madison Capitols minor hockey system in Wisconsin that all four of his sons played in.

After going undrafted in 1982 and 1983, Suter was selected by the Calgary Flames in the ninth round (No. 190) of the 1984 NHL Draft following his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. He played one more season of college hockey before turning pro in 1985-86, when he became an instant hit, winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie after scoring 18 goals and 68 points in 80 games.

In the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Suter helped the Flames reach the Final for the first time in their history before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Suter was hampered by a knee injury in 1986-87, but he was healthy in 1987-88 and had 91 points (21 goals, 70 assists) and a plus-39 rating in 75 games. That season he was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman and was named an NHL Second-Team All-Star.

An emergency appendectomy limited Suter to 62 points (13 goals, 49 assists) in 63 games in 1988-89, and a broken jaw kept him out of all but five games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- where he watched his teammates avenge their loss to the Canadiens three years earlier to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in team history.

Suter had at least 70 points in each of the next two seasons, then scored an NHL career-high 23 goals in 1992-93. But knee injuries hampered him during 1993-94, and his time with the Flames ended on March 10, 1994, when he was traded to the Hartford Whalers, who traded him one day later to the Chicago Blackhawks.

After getting 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 1996-97, Suter's offensive numbers declined and the Blackhawks ultimately traded his negotiating rights to the San Jose Sharks on June 27, 1998.

But in his first season with the Sharks, Suter missed all but one game because of a triceps injury that became infected and required multiple operations. He recovered and played three more seasons in San Jose before retiring after the 2001-02 season -- but not before scoring his 200th NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 2, 2002.

Suter ended his NHL career with 844 points (203 goals, 641 assists) in 1,145 NHL games, as well as 73 points (17 goals, 56 assists) in 108 playoff games.

Internationally, Suter won a silver medal with the United States at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and he helped the U.S. finish first at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Suter was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.