MADISON, Wis. — If you attended Trinity Lutheran Church on the east side of Madison back in the 1960s, perhaps you noticed them.
Marlowe and Delores Suter routinely brought their five young children to Sunday worship services, almost always settling into one of the pews in the back of the beige brick building at 1904 Winnebago St.
Going to church was very important to the Suters. Marlowe and "Dodie'' were both born and raised in Madison. They were high school sweethearts even though she attended East and he went to Central. They married in their teens and went about raising John, Bob, Steve, Sandi and Gary in a blue-collar neighborhood not far from Warner Park.
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Mary, Marlowe and Dodie Suter prepare for the ceremonial puck drop on Nov. 8, 2014, at the Kohl Center following the passing of Bob Suter
Playing hockey was very important to the Suters as well. Marlowe skated at Central and subsequently with club teams from Madison and Rockton, Illinois. He and three of his sons – John, Bob and Gary – later became legendary figures within the University of Wisconsin men's hockey community and pioneers in the world of youth hockey in the Madison area.
There were times when being church-goers and hockey devotees conflicted, forcing the whole family to improvise. It typically involved carrying a tune.
"They sang in the choir,'' Dodie said of her children. "They weren't really happy about it, but they did it.''
Gary, the youngest, remembers all five siblings sharing the same harsh reality.
"None of us were any good at being in the choir,'' he said. "My brothers taught me just to move your lips like you're singing, but don't say anything.''
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The Suter family has made great contributions to Badger hockey, as well as hockey in the Madison area, internationally and the NHL #SuterNight is Friday, Dec. 2
During hockey season, choir duty invariably led to a post-service scramble by the Suters.
"A lot of times we had a Sunday morning hockey game, but we had to sing first,'' John recalled. "So we'd have all our hockey stuff from pants on down – shin pads and everything – underneath our robes so we could rush right out of there and over to Hartmeyer (Arena) to make our games.''
It didn't always go smoothly.
"Sometimes the choir would be up in the balcony, which was better, but if they ever had to sing from the front of the church, they couldn't wear most of their (hockey) stuff,'' Dodie said. "They'd have to wait and put it on in the car.''
If you were one of the Trinity Lutheran congregants in those days, you may have noticed the Suters hustling out into the daylight in search of their next hockey adventure.
"As soon as (choir) was over,'' Marlowe said with a smile, "out we'd go.''
The destinations varied, from Hartmeyer Ice Arena to Tenney Park to Franklin Field to Vilas Park and points in between. While John, Bob, Steve and Gary played hockey or took part in public skating sessions, Sandi pursued a love for figure skating.
"For us it was a way of life,'' Gary said, "going to play and watch hockey.''
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Gary Suter and a young fan at Skate with the Badgers
It helped to have parents who shared this passion. Marlowe and Dodie became experts at carpooling. They also built homemade rinks so the neighborhood kids had a place to skate in winter. One time, Marlowe flooded the floor of the family garage only to have Dodie tap the car's brakes a little too aggressively, sending it sliding into the back wall.
"They were running us all over town trying to get us to different sporting events,'' Gary said of his parents. "I'm not sure how they did it, but they were always doing everything for us so we could pursue our dreams.''
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Ryan Suter skates at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia
Decades have passed and it's impossible not to sing the praises of the Suter family and its impact on hockey at all levels, from boys and girls to kids and adults to locals and internationals to pros and amateurs.
The Suters are synonymous with college hockey dynasties and unforgettable miracles. They have hoisted NCAA trophies and Stanley Cups, stood on podiums to receive Olympic medals and reside in multiple halls of fame.
They also have launched countless hockey careers – players, coaches, officials, administrators – sharpened thousands of skates and spent untold hours piloting a Zamboni.
It all helps explain why Suter Night will be staged Friday when the Badgers host Michigan in a Big Ten Conference series opener at the Kohl Center.
UW players will wear helmet stickers acknowledging the family and special pucks will be used in the game. Marlowe, John and Gary will take part in the ceremonial puck drop before the opening face-off.
John Suter (back left), Bob Suter (back, 2nd from right) with coach Bob Johnson (back right), Mark Johnson (front left) and Madison-area Badgers
John and Bob, who passed away in 2014, were defensemen for the Badgers when they captured the NCAA championship in 1977, the second of six national titles won by the school. Bob went on to play for the famed Miracle on Ice outfit that stunned the heavily favored Soviet Union and won the Olympic gold medal in 1980.
Gary was a standout defenseman for Wisconsin from 1983 to '85 before jumping to the NHL. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1986, starred for Calgary when it won the Stanley Cup in 1989 and played for Team USA in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.
Meanwhile, Bob's son Ryan, also a defenseman, played one season for UW before turning pro in 2004. A former first-round NHL draft pick of Nashville who currently skates for Dallas, Ryan played for the U.S. in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
The modern era of Wisconsin men's hockey, which began in 1964, has featured a host of prominent families, including the Johnsons (Bob, Mark, Peter and Patrick), Granatos (Tony, Don, Rob and Kevin), Lundeens (Bob, Dave, Tom and Paul), Andringas (Jeff and Rob), Johannsons (John and Jim) and Lecys (Scott and Todd). None have been more impactful than the Suters, especially when you weigh their influence on the growth of youth hockey for boys and girls in the Madison area.
Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton has long been a destination for families that are eager to embrace the game. In addition, the Madison Capitols are an entry in the U.S. Hockey League, one of the most prestigious Tier I junior organizations in North America.
Marlowe grew up with hockey. In addition to skating in high school, he played club hockey for the old Madison Cardinals as well as an outfit sponsored by the Wagon Wheel in Rockton, Ill. Their games took them from Chicago to Superior and small-town points in between, always playing outdoors.
Dodie said she knew nothing about hockey when she started watching Marlowe play, but she quickly fell quickly for the game and the man. He was 19 and she was 18 when they married.
Marlowe Suter
Hockey was a way of life for the Suter boys before they could walk. John recalled seeing a photo of him and a diaper-clad Bob with skates and a stick.
John, a UW graduate and a retired Madison fire fighter, said his first hockey memory was playing at Hartmeyer when it had no roof.
"We would go to public skating (sessions) and we could always skate better than anyone else because we started younger,'' he said.
As John and Bob got older and attended East High School, they became aware of other talents in the city, guys like Mark Johnson (Memorial High School) and Eric Heiden (West High School) to name a few. Marlowe noted that Bob and Mark "took a liking to one another'' well before they were teammates at UW and Team USA in 1980.
"We got to know kids from all parts of town from youth hockey and then playing against them in high school,'' John said. "You always knew who certain people were.''
Marlowe found himself on the cutting edge of a dynasty when Bob Johnson took over as Wisconsin coach in 1966. Marlowe, a gifted mechanic, bought a used skate sharpener for $25 at an auction and soon was handling that daily in-season task for the Badgers at 50 cents a pair. Marlowe, a prominent member of the UW-sponsored Blue Line Club, eventually became a goal judge and penalty box official for home games at Hartmeyer and, later, the Dane County Coliseum.
The penalty box gig was notable and eventful. Marlowe would hand out Milk Duds to UW players when they were banished to the sin bin. A lot of times the recipient of the chewy chocolate candies was one of his sons. For example, Bob and Gary are record-holders for penalty minutes at Wisconsin.
John and Bob were often defensive partners during the 1976-77 season. John was the responsible, stay-at-home presence, enabling Bob to jump into the rush and instigate. Gary, who attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, before enrolling at UW, watched this dynamic closely.
"I idolized my brothers,'' he said. "Every step along the way I wanted to be like them.''
Steve also played hockey – John said Bob Johnson invited him to walk on at UW – but his passion has long been his motorcycle business.
John acknowledged that Bob and Gary "all had more success than I did playing hockey,'' but John is aware that his role in their development is significant.
"I think I broke the trail for a lot of stuff,'' he said.
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The Suter Family at the 2017 UW Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony inducting Bob, including son Ryan and parents, Marlowe and Dodie Suter
The unsung force behind all this is Dodie. When she wasn't driving her children to practices, games and tournaments, she was making her pregame pasta dishes and watching closely as her children interacted with other kids.
"She had to help out and be behind it all,'' John said.
"My mom deserves a lot of credit for everything from a hockey standpoint,'' Gary said.
When Bob played in the '80 Olympics, Marlowe and Dodie shared a home with the other parents in Lake Placid, N.Y. Her memories of grocery shopping, making chili dinners, getting to know the other families and watching one of the greatest sports moments ever are strong.
"Really special,'' she said. Â Â Â Â
Gary and Ryan also played for Team USA in the Olympics, winning silver medals in 2002 and 2010, respectively.
Bob, who started out in hockey as a goaltender, gave pro hockey a brief one-year try before starting his own hockey-related businesses: Gold Medal Sports and Cap Ice. The latter enterprise tapped into one of his endearing traits that carried him to his death from a heart attack eight years ago.
"He loved kids,'' Marlowe said. "He was like the Pied Piper.''
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