An update on the tragic loss of Bob Suter, Ryan's dad and the Wild scout, ...
Ryan Suter issued this statement through Wild PR: The sudden loss of my father has been difficult for myself and our family - my dad was my hero and he taught me about life, hockey and what was truly important - family. He will be missed greatly and his legacy and spirit will be with us every day. He lived with the motto "it's all about the kids" and forever he will be remembered by this. My family and I also want to say thank you for the tremendous outpouring of support we have received from the hockey community around the world. It means a lot to us to know how much he was loved and will be missed.
Tom Sagissor, the former Badger and close family friend of the Suters, called this morning. As you can imagine, Tom is incredibly broken up by the loss of his friend. Tom and Ryan drove to Madison last night and Ryan plans to put out a statement through the Wild today. The family is obviously devastated.
Funeral plans are still pending, but Tom said Wild owner Craig Leipold has been incredibly supportive and plans to fly the entire team and family members to Bob's funeral.
"I just think that says huge things about Craig and the organization," Tom said. "Bob was a fantastic guy, just a great father and he was great to kids and good to the game of hockey. All those kids were just affected by him and his ability to keep people in the game."
Bob Suter, who died at the rink he co-owned with his son, was, as ESPN's John Buccigross so poignantly said below, a rink rat.
In a story last year, Ryan Suter told me he never grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL. He figured he would go to the University of Wisconsin like his dad and uncle, Gary, and then work at the rink with his dad. His father was always at that rink, whether it was sweeping the locker rooms, resurfacing the ice or devoting his time to the kids who love to skate down at Capitol Ice.
Some tweets from yesterday:
