Earlier today, Bob Suter, a member of the "Miracle on Ice," a Wild scout and the father of Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, passed away in Wisconsin of an apparent heart attack. Ryan Suter was on the ice with the Wild at an informal practice at Braemar Arena when his wife, Becky, arrived clearly broken up.

Ryan Suter immediately left the ice and departed the rink with his wife. Teammates like friend Zach Parise were stunned to learned the news after practice.

My thoughts and prayers are with Suter and his entire family. Some of my most enjoyable times covering the team the past few years was talking to Bob about Ryan's rise and talking to Ryan about the love and admiration he had for his father.

Bob Suter scouted the USHL and Wisconsin high schools the past two years for the Wild. He was a big reason the Wild drafted defenseman Gustav Olofsson.

"Bob was a tremendous asset to our scouting staff," assistant GM Brent Flahr said. "He loved the game of hockey, he was around rinks all of his life, and he had a natural eye for talent. He put countless miles on his truck in order to scout games for us and he loved to talk hockey. He was a lot of fun to have at meetings, he had a great sense of humor, and was just a positive guy to be around. It was a sad day for all of our staff and he will be greatly missed."

A statement from the Wild:

"We are very saddened by today's news that Minnesota Wild Scout Bob Suter suddenly passed away. The Wild organization sends its condolences to the entire Suter family during this difficult time. Not only was Bob a great hockey ambassador, he was a terrific person off the ice who will be greatly missed by all of us."