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Ontario Reign

Oh, what a night – Brett Sutter’s 1,000th game won’t be forgotten

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Thursday night’s Reign win in San Jose won’t be forgotten anytime soon by anyone on the Ontario roster. The entire day was a celebration of team captain Brett Sutter, not just as a forward who has been lucky enough to play in 1,000 professional hockey games, or a captain who others look to as a leader, but as a person who at one time or another, has lent a helping hand to every member of the team.

Milestones like these are a great time to look back and reflect on the career of the player who has achieved so much. But rarely do you ever see an entire locker room of players, coaches and staff get so excited about someone else’s recognition.

Specialty equipment, on-ice tributes and more all went into what turned out to be a full-game celebration. Turns out, the actual achievement of reaching 1,000 games was only a small part of why everyone on the Ontario Reign felt so strongly about making it a memorable night.

“I think what it was, was just the person who got it,” said defenseman and alternate captain Cameron Gaunce. “Brett means a lot to a lot of us. He does a lot to make you feel relevant, to make you feel heard, and I think the ability to reciprocate that for him is something a lot of us really wanted to do.”

Sutter knew it was coming, entering the season just 31 games shy of the mark, but postponements and an ever-fluctuating calendar, during a season being played inside of a global pandemic, kept preparations fluid. Once it was just a few days away, he could finally take a look back and reflect on a 15-year career filled with memories.

“I’ve had lots of emotion for sure,” Sutter said after the game. “What makes hockey such a great game is the people in it and the team certainly made tonight a special night for me, including the trainers and the staff. The last few days, reflecting on the past and the people who got you here was a pretty emotional time and then once you get to the rink you try to dial it in and get back to game mode, but it was definitely a ton of fun.”

Reign Assistant Coach Chris Hajt, who has been part of the Ontario staff for five of Sutter’s seasons, also prioritized this night as a recognition for someone he considers an extension of the coaching staff.

“He cares so much about all his teammates and wears his heart on his sleeve,” Hajt said of his captain. “He’s the best leader I’ve seen, and he just comes to work every day and cares about his teammates. He’s always there for everybody and puts them ahead of himself.”

As with most gamedays, the team met earlier in the morning for a workout and morning skate. It was there that Sutter was surprised by head equipment manager Luke Eichas with six special sticks, each customized with logos and game totals from the eight pro teams he’s played for since he began his career with the Quad City Flames in 2007. Made specifically for the night by Warrior Hockey, the side of the stick also had a Reign logo with the words “1,000 Pro Games”.

It seemed like his teammates in the locker room were just as excited as Brett for him to receive the sticks, gathering around to watch him tape a few up before Sutter himself went out on the ice during the morning practice.

The tributes were just getting started. When everyone returned to the arena in the afternoon to prepare for the game, each locker was adorned with a specialty nameplate to signify the night, with the individual’s name in the center flanked by pictures of Sutter on both sides.

Gaunce and forward Martin Frk, another longtime teammate of Sutter’s, helped Eichas put together a design for a shirt that would be worn by players and staff throughout the night. Each had an Ontario logo on the front with the word “Reign” replaced by the number “1,000” along with a captain’s “C” and Sutter’s name and number on the back.

“It was a really special night for an unbelievable captain and an even better person,” Hajt said. “We’re really happy for Brett and everything he’s done in his career. You can see this shirt and different things that were done by the training staff that were outstanding to celebrate. Guys were definitely happy for him, the organization, everybody, we can’t thank him enough for everything that he’s done for us but also celebrate his career and what he’s done.”

Every player, member of the coaching staff, training staff and support staff adorned the shirt leading up to the game, with the entire group taking a team photo after a video meeting before getting dressed in their game gear.

“It was just such an honor for all of us,” said forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan. “Suttsy has touched all of our lives in some way and so many people in the hockey community. I haven’t heard one bad thing said about him, ever. It’s an honor to play alongside him and be a little part of his 1,000 games. We all feel very lucky and we’re lucky to have him on our team.”

Then came warmups, which began with a solo lap from Sutter similar to what has become common across the NHL when a rookie makes his debut. But minutes before the team hit the ice, Gaunce had another idea. With quick thinking, a plan was formed, and the word spread to each member of the team to mimic Sutter’s stickhandling during his normal routine.

The result was each player holding on to a puck and facing Sutter, another sign of respect towards a captain that has seemingly meant so much to all of them in their career.

“I think him recognizing it, seeing how much everyone cared, whether it was before the game, after the game, during warmup seeing us all mimic his stickhandling, the recognitions he took in that day meant a lot to me because that’s what we all wanted,” Gaunce said. “We all wanted him to feel special and I think we were able to do that.”

Minutes later, there was a game to play. How could you not be inspired after being a part of all that?

Frk scored just 65 seconds after the puck dropped, giving Ontario control of a game they dominated from start to finish. Gabriel Vilardi added another goal just before the two-minute mark to give the Reign some breathing room. Goaltender Matt Villalta was also at his best, turning aside chance after chance to keep the Barracuda at an arm’s length distance. No one wanted to allow any opportunity of a comeback that night.

Finally, with less than six minutes remaining in the third, Sutter got on the scoresheet when he found an open TJ Tynan in front of the net for Ontario’s sixth goal. When all was said and done, 14 of the 18 skaters in the lineup had picked up a point in the team’s most lopsided victory of the season.

“It was nice to get the lead early and obviously build on it,” Hajt said. “Come the third period and we get some goals and Brett got an assist.”

It also didn’t hurt that the win moved Ontario into first place in the Pacific Division for the first time since the opening month of the season. Although they didn’t hold on to the spot for long, losing to Stockton two days later, it was another key part of the night.

“I think there was that added motivation because every time you see an interview of someone who played his 1,000th game, who scores his first goal, who gets his first hat trick, they always say ‘ah, well it would’ve been better with two points’” Gaunce said. “Whether that’s true or not, that’s what everyone says. If anyone’s going to live by that, that’d be Suttsy. He would want to get a win because he always puts the team first, put others in front of himself, so I think we really wanted that for him and getting that win, putting seven on the board too, that was pretty special.”

The postgame celebration had everyone gather again for another team photo, this one with even bigger smile after a win.

It was the kind of night that further bonded everyone together. A moment that could pay off later in the season for a team that expects to go on a lengthy playoff run.

“It’s easy to get on board and have everyone pull the rope in the same direction when it’s something like trying to make Brett feel good about himself,” said Gaunce. “A lot of times there’s things that can galvanize a team and something like that where everyone’s working toward the same goal, everyone has the same intentions, there’s no ulterior motives, that’s something that we can consistently build on.”

Understandably, Sutter was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. On a night that was much about remembering the past, it was also a recognition of the current Reign group, what they’ve already achieved in the first half of the AHL season, and a sign of what could be ahead of them in the coming months.

“They had a ton of fun, they might have even had more fun than I did with it,” Sutter said. “We’ve got a great group in there. There’s not a single outsider. Everyone loves each other like a brother, and I think that’s what’s going to make this a special team. They certainly made it hard to focus before the game, but we had a lot of fun doing it and this is one I will never forget.

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