ESPN reported that Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings, Ron Wilson of the San Jose Sharks, John Paddock of the Ottawa Senators and Brent Sutter of the New Jersey Devils will comprise the 2008 All-Star game coaching staff. 

“The league chooses its coaches based on the teams from each conference that have the top points percentages through games of Jan. 4, the midway point of the regular season. Babcock's Red Wings lead the Western Conference with 61 points in 40 games (29-8-3), and Paddock's Senators lead the Eastern Conference with 54 points in 39 games.”

After a terrible October start, coach Sutter has united his team and instilled an aggressive forechecking.  In return, even emergency reserves like Noah Clarke have taken advantage of opponents' mistakes.

Sutter's Devils are in second place in the Eastern Conference with 47 points.  The coach must be doing something right.  After a terrible October start, Sutter has united his team, instilling a means of aggressive fore-checking without sacrificing too much on the defensive side of the puck. 

So I say it’s time for Scott Burnside to start giving the rookie coach some credit.   In his Oct. “Ranking the NHL coaches” column, Burnside placed Sutter 29^th of 30 NHL head coaches.  True, the Devils coach had never been behind the bench prior to the start of this season.  But, victory and success are in his blood.  He has proved it with the Devils thus far.

A model of success was built in the Sutter family.  Brent is the third youngest of seven brothers, six of whom have played in the NHL.

Like several of his brothers, Brent successfully competed at the professional level.  The New York Islanders drafted him in the 1980 entry draft and won two Stanley Cup Trophies with Sutter.  He was named captain in 1988.  In 1991, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he finished his playing career.  He recorded 363 goals and 466 assists in 1,111 games with the Islanders and Blackhawks.

After retiring, Brent took his winning ways to the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he coached the Red Deer Rebels.  His work with the Rebels landed him a spot coaching the Canadian junior ice hockey teams to consecutive gold medals at the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

It did not take long for the NHL to make a necessary phone call.

Thankfully, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello made that call several times (rumor has it) before Sutter finally took the job in New Jersey.  A coach committed to defensive hard-nosed hockey, Sutter joined the right organization.  See Hall of Fame inductee Scott Stevens, veteran Ken Daneyko, and most recently stay-at-home defenseman Colin White for proof.  In fact, Sutter carried that mentality from his playing days to his coaching career.

And it has paid off.

While critics doubted the Devils for lacking a true scoring threat, they have overcome the lack of a Sidney Crosby or Vincent Lecavalier, a weak October, and have locked down defensively.  They have allowed an Eastern-Conference team-low 92 goals, four less than their cross-river rival NY Rangers, who also play a stifling physical defense, have allowed.  Credit Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has dominated opponents thus far.

The Devils lead with an aggressive forecheck and force teams to make mistakes in their own zone.  Their style led to Noah Clarke’s first goal in Devils skates.

This is the Brent Sutter way of hockey, playing and coaching… and it’s of all-star caliber.

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