Chapman happy to help

By Dale Woodard
rLethbridge Herald
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rJohn Chapman is proud of the players he put in the National Hockey League.
rHowever, the head coach who manned the bench for the Lethbridge Broncos from 1980 to 1986 is equally proud of the players he helped move on to other walks of life.
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r“We put out a ton of National Hockey League players and I’m just as proud of the guys that have moved on that are doctors, lawyers and school teachers and salesmen. It was really special,” said Chapman.
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rOn Saturday night, prior to hosting the Medicine Hat Tigers in Western Hockey League regular season action at the Enmax Centre, the Hurricanes tipped the hat to the coach dubbed “Chappy” in a special hall of fame induction that included the Sutter brother contingent of Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Rich and Ron. Seeing his name raised to the rafters of the Enmax Centre to a hearty applause alongside the Sutters he worked so closely with in the early 1980s in the Broncos days was indeed a special occasion for for the former Broncos coach and current scout for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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r“You put in a lot of long days, a lot of bus trips and a lot time together with young players,” said Chapman. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be blessed with a lot of young talent. I had a lot of great scouting staff led by Doug McCauley. They knew the type of players that I wanted here.”
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rAt the core of the players Chapman wanted on his bench during his tenure behind the Broncos bench were the Sutter brothers. The twin brother combo of Rich and Ron were key components in the Broncos run to the Memorial Cup in 1983 in Portland. Brent played one full season with the Broncos, sharing a line with his twin brothers before before moving on to the New York Islanders after the team drafted him in the first round of the 1980 draft. A quarter of a century later, the bond between the former Broncos coach and the Sutter family remains solid.
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r“One old NHL coach once told me job selection is everything and I think player selection is also,” said Chapman, reflecting back to his 1979-1980 Red Deer Rustlers team that captured the Tier II Canadian championship.
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r“Ronnie and Rich were 15-year-old kids and Brent was a draft pick that year. Him and Troy Murray were the only two draft picks out of Tier II hockey in Canada that year. These guys show up every night to work, are coachable, don’t like to lose and have a great work ethic. Brent is like my son. We still talk regularly. I know he’s sorry he’s not here tonight. But he was a great leader for me with that club in Red Deer and of course was drafted in the first round by the Islanders.”
rAnd when Chapman made the move the Lethbridge the following year, the three Sutters followed suit.
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r"I took the coaching here and of course Ronnie, Rich and Brent all came with me,” said Chapman.
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rWhile the Sutter brothers all went on to NHL careers following their stint with the Broncos, a slew of other players that went through the team’s program during Chapman’s tenure went on to solid stints in the NHL, including the Moller brothers – Randy and Mike – Bob Rouse, Gerald Diduck and Mark Tinordi…
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