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When it comes to the NHL playoffs, Andy Sutton has a total of one bad memory from his days in Atlanta. He'd like to change that as a member of the Senators.
Several young Ottawa Senators are preparing for their first taste of NHL playoff hockey.
For 35-year-old defenceman Andy Sutton, the Senators represent a chance to get a bitter taste out of his mouth, from his fleeting playoff experience of 2007.
If you blinked, you missed it -- the Atlanta Thrashers' four-game sweep by the New York Rangers that spring. A giant, thoughtful man who routinely steps in front of slap shots and hammers opponents with thundering bodychecks, Sutton has only known that one spring fling in 10-plus NHL seasons: Four playoff games. Thanks for coming, ATL.
"It was tragic," Sutton says of the Thrashers' collapse in '07 after winning the Southeast Division with 43 victories and 97 points.
"I mean, I spent all that time in Atlanta, and we built and built and built to get to that point, finished third (in the conference) that year, and the Rangers just showed us the door. We came in and it was closed right behind us."
The Thrashers had some guys. Marian Hossa contributed 43 goals and 100 points. Ilya Kovalchuk was a rising star.
At the deadline, Atlanta brought in Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. Already in the room were character guys like Greg de Vries and Shane Hnidy, both former Senators.
"We had a really solid group of guys," Sutton says. "It was the kind of team we wanted to keep together because guys really cared about each other."
But when they bombed in their first playoff trip, the team was ripped apart, and this season the final shoe dropped with Kovalchuk's trade to New Jersey.
Sutton, meanwhile, laboured through a couple of obscure seasons on Long Island, limited to 23 games because of injury in 2008-09, which included a broken foot. To hear him tell it, getting traded to Ottawa in early March was like stepping into daylight from the hockey wilderness.
"I was ecstatic, I was grinning from ear to ear," Sutton says. "The chance to come to such a well-established team, a team that knows how to win, a team that I believe has a chance to win the Stanley Cup ... is a great honour."
Sutton senses a quiet professionalism in the Senators' room. Players who are focused, but relaxed, seemingly poised for bigger things. It starts with the core of players who made the run to the final in 2007.
"There's more of a marathon than a sprint mentality, you can tell," he says.
The 6-6, 245-pound Sutton joins defenders such as Anton Volchenkov and Matt Carkner to give Ottawa a physical presence it has not had since Zdeno Chara left for Boston. (Sutton's accidental, knock-down collision with Volchenkov on Saturday was a telling depiction of the man's force when in flight).
How it all works out in the playoffs may determine whether Sutton, an unrestricted free agent this summer, returns to Ottawa.
Whether the Senators can or can't re-sign Volchenkov will also play a big role in Sutton's situation. The big guy is open to anything at this point.
After a decade spent mostly in non-traditional hockey markets, Sutton appreciates how a Canadian market gets the nuances of the game.
Pretty easy for a Canadian kid to become a forgotten man in the deep south, or on the Island, playing for non-contenders.
"You know, there has been a bit of that," he says. "You're definitely more appreciated here for the little things you do. That's nice, because I don't score a lot of points, but I do block a lot of shots and I do bang a lot of bodies, and it's much more appreciated in a market like this. It's nice to get some recognition for that."
In every sense, Sutton was a late bloomer. He's labelled a "Kingston boy," but actually only moved there at 14. His parents and a sister still live in Kingston.
Born in London, Ont., Sutton grew up in Burlington, was a defenceman until age 10 and then a forward until age 20, when he was switched back to the blue-line in his sophomore year at Michigan Tech.
A "weird growth phase" from 14 to 16 helped launch him into junior B in Gananoque at 16, an interesting life experience playing alongside men of 20 and 21.
After two years of OHA-B hockey, he spent a year with the St. Mike's B's of the MTJHL, where a 40-point season earned him a scholarship at Michigan Tech.
Sutton was a consistent two-goal scorer his first three seasons at Michigan Tech, but in his senior year exploded for 16 goals and 24 assists, another 40-point season, to earn a free agent contract with the San Jose Sharks in 1998.
He was dealt to Minnesota in time for the inaugural Wild season in 2000-01, and by late January of '02 was traded to Atlanta.
Sutton and his wife, Natalie, a talented home designer and builder, essentially gutted and rebuilt their 100-year-old house in Atlanta. Natalie has been back and forth between Atlanta and Ottawa since the trade. Now it's April and the Suttons are still thinking hockey.
For a change.
"I've played on expansion teams and paid my dues, finally made the playoffs and it didn't work out," Sutton says.
"Even going to Long Island, I happened to hit it during a rebuilding phase, so it has been tough -- that and combined with three years of injuries, kept me back from where I wanted to be.
"But I feel better than I've ever felt before. I hope to keep playing well way into June."
His new teammates say, "Amen to that," brother.
Wayne Scanlan - Citizen
Good read, interesting stuff in there. He was a defenseman until age 10 and then a forward for 10 years from age 10 to 20.
He is obviously very happy to be with the team and sounds like he would like to stay here but he also has a lot of ties in Atlanta. His wife is a designer and builder and has rebuilt their house in Atlanta that is 100 years old.
Do you think he remains a Sen past this season or does he go back to Atlanta or elsewhere?
Several young Ottawa Senators are preparing for their first taste of NHL playoff hockey.
For 35-year-old defenceman Andy Sutton, the Senators represent a chance to get a bitter taste out of his mouth, from his fleeting playoff experience of 2007.
If you blinked, you missed it -- the Atlanta Thrashers' four-game sweep by the New York Rangers that spring. A giant, thoughtful man who routinely steps in front of slap shots and hammers opponents with thundering bodychecks, Sutton has only known that one spring fling in 10-plus NHL seasons: Four playoff games. Thanks for coming, ATL.
"It was tragic," Sutton says of the Thrashers' collapse in '07 after winning the Southeast Division with 43 victories and 97 points.
"I mean, I spent all that time in Atlanta, and we built and built and built to get to that point, finished third (in the conference) that year, and the Rangers just showed us the door. We came in and it was closed right behind us."
The Thrashers had some guys. Marian Hossa contributed 43 goals and 100 points. Ilya Kovalchuk was a rising star.
At the deadline, Atlanta brought in Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. Already in the room were character guys like Greg de Vries and Shane Hnidy, both former Senators.
"We had a really solid group of guys," Sutton says. "It was the kind of team we wanted to keep together because guys really cared about each other."
But when they bombed in their first playoff trip, the team was ripped apart, and this season the final shoe dropped with Kovalchuk's trade to New Jersey.
Sutton, meanwhile, laboured through a couple of obscure seasons on Long Island, limited to 23 games because of injury in 2008-09, which included a broken foot. To hear him tell it, getting traded to Ottawa in early March was like stepping into daylight from the hockey wilderness.
"I was ecstatic, I was grinning from ear to ear," Sutton says. "The chance to come to such a well-established team, a team that knows how to win, a team that I believe has a chance to win the Stanley Cup ... is a great honour."
Sutton senses a quiet professionalism in the Senators' room. Players who are focused, but relaxed, seemingly poised for bigger things. It starts with the core of players who made the run to the final in 2007.
"There's more of a marathon than a sprint mentality, you can tell," he says.
The 6-6, 245-pound Sutton joins defenders such as Anton Volchenkov and Matt Carkner to give Ottawa a physical presence it has not had since Zdeno Chara left for Boston. (Sutton's accidental, knock-down collision with Volchenkov on Saturday was a telling depiction of the man's force when in flight).
How it all works out in the playoffs may determine whether Sutton, an unrestricted free agent this summer, returns to Ottawa.
Whether the Senators can or can't re-sign Volchenkov will also play a big role in Sutton's situation. The big guy is open to anything at this point.
After a decade spent mostly in non-traditional hockey markets, Sutton appreciates how a Canadian market gets the nuances of the game.
Pretty easy for a Canadian kid to become a forgotten man in the deep south, or on the Island, playing for non-contenders.
"You know, there has been a bit of that," he says. "You're definitely more appreciated here for the little things you do. That's nice, because I don't score a lot of points, but I do block a lot of shots and I do bang a lot of bodies, and it's much more appreciated in a market like this. It's nice to get some recognition for that."
In every sense, Sutton was a late bloomer. He's labelled a "Kingston boy," but actually only moved there at 14. His parents and a sister still live in Kingston.
Born in London, Ont., Sutton grew up in Burlington, was a defenceman until age 10 and then a forward until age 20, when he was switched back to the blue-line in his sophomore year at Michigan Tech.
A "weird growth phase" from 14 to 16 helped launch him into junior B in Gananoque at 16, an interesting life experience playing alongside men of 20 and 21.
After two years of OHA-B hockey, he spent a year with the St. Mike's B's of the MTJHL, where a 40-point season earned him a scholarship at Michigan Tech.
Sutton was a consistent two-goal scorer his first three seasons at Michigan Tech, but in his senior year exploded for 16 goals and 24 assists, another 40-point season, to earn a free agent contract with the San Jose Sharks in 1998.
He was dealt to Minnesota in time for the inaugural Wild season in 2000-01, and by late January of '02 was traded to Atlanta.
Sutton and his wife, Natalie, a talented home designer and builder, essentially gutted and rebuilt their 100-year-old house in Atlanta. Natalie has been back and forth between Atlanta and Ottawa since the trade. Now it's April and the Suttons are still thinking hockey.
For a change.
"I've played on expansion teams and paid my dues, finally made the playoffs and it didn't work out," Sutton says.
"Even going to Long Island, I happened to hit it during a rebuilding phase, so it has been tough -- that and combined with three years of injuries, kept me back from where I wanted to be.
"But I feel better than I've ever felt before. I hope to keep playing well way into June."
His new teammates say, "Amen to that," brother.
Wayne Scanlan - Citizen
Good read, interesting stuff in there. He was a defenseman until age 10 and then a forward for 10 years from age 10 to 20.
He is obviously very happy to be with the team and sounds like he would like to stay here but he also has a lot of ties in Atlanta. His wife is a designer and builder and has rebuilt their house in Atlanta that is 100 years old.
Do you think he remains a Sen past this season or does he go back to Atlanta or elsewhere?
