Sutter Knows Way in San Jose

SAN JOSE —  Ron Wilson’s coaching helped turn around the San Jose Sharks after a dismal season. He’s guided them to the final four of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Yet it is Calgary Flames Coach Darryl Sutter who is getting most of the recognition as the teams prepare for today’s Game 1 of the Western Conference final.

“Darryl was the biggest part of this organization,” said goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who was transformed from an untested backup to Rookie of the Year during his first season with Sutter. “To go against him right now is kind of exciting. He deserved the opportunity to do what he’s doing in Calgary, and I’m happy he’s doing so well.”

Sutter was fired by San Jose 17 months ago. He surfaced in Calgary, where the Flames had not won a playoff series since taking the Stanley Cup in 1989.

He guided the Flames back into the playoffs and then to upsets of Vancouver and top-seeded Detroit.

While Sutter claims his history with San Jose adds absolutely no significance to the series, try telling that to the Sharks who learned their craft under Sutter. Over six seasons of steady improvement, Sutter turned the Sharks from laughingstocks into contenders, eventually winning the Pacific Division. When they regressed seven months later, he was fired Dec. 1, 2002.

“Personally it has zero, zero bearing,” Sutter said. “Every team now probably has 10 guys who have moved. I mean you separate it totally. I have a ton of respect for their organization and for the players I coached over there.”

Where Sutter stalled, Wilson has succeeded with a roster largely assembled by Sutter and former general manager Dean Lombardi. Wilson and new GM Doug Wilson overhauled the Sharks’ style and attitude, leading them to the best season in franchise history. They are in the conference finals for the first time.

Sutter and Ron Wilson are quite familiar with each other. They even were teammates in 1979 on an AHL team in Moncton, New Brunswick.

“We always stayed cordial and friendly,” Wilson said. “I don’t know him as well as everybody else in this organization, but I have a lot of respect for what he and his whole family represent, in terms of hockey and their dedication to it.

“He is going to know individuals on our team, but I wouldn’t say he has an edge, because we play a completely different style of game than when he was around. The only thing that’s the same is the jersey and the team name.”

Sutter built the Sharks as a hard-nosed team behind gritty captain Owen Nolan. He has done the same in Calgary, where the Flames make up for a lack of overwhelming talent with their work ethic.They award an ugly, green hard hat to the hardest-working player after each victory.