Ryan Suter 8x10 Autograph Card

I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of an important American hockey player, Bob Suter, a member of the 1980 Miracle On Ice team, brother to Gary Suter, and father of star defenseman Ryan Suter and up-and-comer Garrett Suter.

He had won an NCAA championship with the Wisconsin Badgers, and was one of the rare players on the 1980 Team USA who didn't go to University of Minnesota or Boston University.

He was a scout for the Minnesota Wild at the time of his death, with whom his son Ryan now plays. I didn't have a card of Bob's, nor one of Ryan with the Wild, but I have this 8x10 insert, signed in black sharpie on a sticker, from Upper Deck's 2006-07 Be A Player Portraits set (#SP-RS of the Signature Portraits sub-set):

It is from the same set from whence the jersey card of his I featured in May came; it also shows him in the Nashville Predators' former blue uniform which, all things considered, may have been their best-looking by a fair margin.

Ryan Suter Jersey Card

Ryan Suter had a rough game last night against the Chicago Blackhawks, finishing with a minus-3, as Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell acted like kids in a candy store against the Minnesota Wild.

Ironically, from what I'd seen prior to the 2003 draft, I thought he may have been drafted a tad too early in the 7th spot considering I thought he may become more of a defensive specialist than all well-rounded defender or even a force on the offense. I was under the impression that Braydon Coburn (8th), Dion Phaneuf (9th), Brent Seabrook (14th), Brent Burns (20th) and Shea Weber (49th) would have been better earlier picks, with my three favourites being Coburn, Seabrook and Weber.

However, with 5 seasons over the 35-point mark in 9 NHL seasons so far - three of them over 40, with a top of 46 in 2011-12 - he has definitely proved me wrong on that point. And with a career-high of 73 penalty minutes (2008-09), he is nowhere as nasty as his uncle (Gary Suter) was. Add his father Bob Suter to the conversation (a member of the 1980 Miracle On Ice Team USA) and you have decent talk about a legacy family in the making. All three have played for Team USA, with Ryan winning three gold medals (2002 U17, 2002 U18, and 2004 World Juniors) and one silver (2010 Olympics).

Much has been said about Suter's and Zach Parise's twin contracts with the Wild, but to me, it was him moving from one team with a kitty cat on its chest (the Nashville Predators) to another, and because of his father and the Team USA/Minnesota connection, it fit perfectly.

And so it is with a blast from the past and the nicest Predators uniform so far (then-away, dark blue) that I bring you this photo shoot-used jersey card from Upper Deck's 2006-07 Be A Player Portraits (card #FE-RS, part of the First Exposures sub-set):