SUNRISE, Fla. -- Duane Sutter smiles at the notion of
coaching against his brothers next season.
Sutter signed a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers
Thursday, removing the interim label from his title and joining two
of his five brothers as NHL coaches.
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Darryl Sutter coaches the San Jose Sharks and Brian Sutter
coaches the Chicago Blackhawks.
"I won't be putting up $1,000 or something like that every time
we play San Jose or Chicago. I'd be broke," Sutter said. "It was
a big thrill to play against them many times. It'll be an even
bigger challenge now except that if I step over the glass to get in
a scrap with them, the fine will be a lot more than the price tag
for dinner was for the loser."
Sutter guided the Panthers to a 16-24-6 record after replacing
Terry Murray, who was fired in December.
Although the Panthers didn't have a winning record under Sutter,
several players sensed a change in team chemistry and asked
president and general manager Bill Torrey to retain him.
The coach's future remained uncertain while team founder Wayne
Huizenga tried to sell the team.
The Panthers were tentatively sold Tuesday for $101 million to a
South Florida group headed by Alan Cohen, CEO of generic drug maker
Andrx Corp., and former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar. The deal
still needs to be approved by the league.
"Our next goal is to upgrade the team," Sutter said. "It's
going to be a positive, challenging summer. Our goal is to be a
better team and compete for the playoffs. The playoffs are just a
short-term goal. We have bigger goals than that."
The Panthers, who had several key players injured last season,
won only five of their first 36 games and missed the playoffs for
the third time in four years.
With four of the top 50 picks in the NHL draft, Florida will try
to rebuild around Pavel Bure, the league's leading goal scorer, and
Roberto Luongo, a rising young goaltender.
"It's a new year, and I think everybody's rededicated
themselves to get ready for this season and prove that we're a much
better team than we showed last year," forward Peter Worrell said.
The new owners deferred all hockey decisions to Torrey, who said
he received no objections when he recommended Sutter on Wednesday.
"There was no disagreement," Torrey said. "Duane had a good
handle on the team. One thing I know ... the team will play hard."
Sutter is one of six brothers who played in the NHL. He spent
eight seasons with the New York Islanders, winning four consecutive
Stanley Cups with Torrey as the Isles' general manager.
Sutter also played three seasons in Chicago. He had 139 goals
and 203 assists in 731 regular-season games.
Before getting promoted, Sutter spent the past two years as the
team's professional scout.
"I believe the leadership a coach provides is very contagious,
and that will be our approach every day," Sutter said.
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