Sutter Cracks Skull In Accident At Alberta Farm

Darryl Sutter, the former NHL star and Chicago Blackhawks coach, fell trying to fix an overhead door at his farm more than two weeks ago, leaving him with a cracked skull and broken shoulder.

Sutter underwent brain scans and treatment at an Edmonton, Alberta, hospital following the Feb. 23 accident and returned to his farm last Thursday.

“I don’t remember four or five days there,” he told the Calgary Sun. “I didn’t eat for 16 days. I’m getting to the point where I can keep something down now.”

Sutter, 39, was standing in a front-end loader when he lost his balance and fell more than 12 feet. He said he doesn’t know how long he was unconscious.

“I broke my skull in a couple of places and broke my shoulder blade,” he said. “I guess I made it back to the house somehow.

“I was all bleeding and a friend came along and took me to the (Viking) hospital. I guess I was lucky. Lying there unconscious, it’s a good thing it wasn’t 40 below.”

Sutter quit his Chicago job before last season so he could tend to his son Christopher, 2, who has Down’s syndrome.

Sutter said he still suffers from nausea but intends to coach his son Brett’s novice team in its league final this weekend.

“They may not want me,” he said. “I’m scrambled eggs.”

On the ice

Robert Svehla scored a goal and added an assist as Florida snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the New York Islanders 3-2 Tuesday night at Miami.

Florida won for just the second time in 12 games and avoided consecutive losses to Boston and the Islanders, the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders, despite being in last place, entered the game on a high note, winning three of four and outscoring their previous two opponents 10-3.

Michael Peca scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the host Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The win brings Northeast Division-leading Buffalo within five points of Philadelphia, which holds the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rick Tocchet got his first goal with Washington and added an assist, and Bill Ranford stopped 16 shots as the resurgent Capitals beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 at Landover, Md.

Fellow newcomer Adam Oates also set up a goal to help Washington to its third win in four games.

At East Rutherford, N.J., Bobby Holik scored twice in a five-goal first period and the New Jersey Devils continued to roll with a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils stretched their unbeaten streak at home to 13 games (7-0-6). New Jersey has won seven of its last eight and is a league-best 13-2-7 in its last 22 games.

The five goals in a period tied a season high for New Jersey and was one shy of the Devils’ record.

Pierre Turgeon scored his 21st and 22nd goals in the third period as the St. Louis Blues snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the host San Jose Sharks 4-3.