1980 Olympian, Gold Medalist, former Wisconsin Badger, and member of the 1977 NCAA Championship Team Bob Suter died today, September 9, 2014.

It makes me sad to think that any one of the heroes from that Olympic team has already died.  But in his lifetime he notched an achievement on a scale that very few ever reach.

57 is just too young to go and it’s amazing after all these years that he was only that old.  But they were, after all, just a bunch of college kids when they did it — all, except for one or two, younger than me.

Suter died suddenly in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, of a heart attack.  He was a star player on his Madison East High School team prior to playing for Wisconsin.  He played in all seven of the 1980 Olympic games and was a tough defenseman throughout his playing career.  In 1977 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, and signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981; he never played an NHL game.  His younger brother, Gary, and his son, Ryan, went on to become stars in the NHL.  Bob Suter owned a sporting goods store in Madison and was instrumental in the local youth hockey program.  He also did some scouting for the Minnesota Wild.

Current Wisconsin Men’s Head Coach, and teammate of Suter on the 1977 NCAA Championship team, Ben Eaves, said, “This is a heart-breaking day, Bob was the ultimate teammate.  He could skate like the wind and was as hard of a competitor that I ever knew.  He passed much too young.”

Current Wisconsin Women’s Head Coach, teammate of Suter on the NCAA Championship team, and teammate of Suter on the Olympic Gold Medal Team, Mark Johnson, said, “We are all stunned.  Everyone is shocked.  It’s a sad day, not only for the community of Madison but the hockey community who knew Bob and all the players who he touched and who he gave an opportunity to play hockey and to climb up the ladder.”

1980 Olympic Team Captain Mike Eruzione tweeted, “Sad news at the passing of Bob Suter a great teammate on the 1980 Olympic Team.  He will be missed by so many RIP BamBam.”

Bob Suter is the first player from the 1980 Olympic Team to die.  The Olympic Team Coach, Herb Brooks, died in an auto accident in August of 2003.  It is not an understatement to say that this team’s accomplishment captivated the entire country.  It was a true team that Brooks built, nearly defining what the word team means; it would not have been the same team without any one of the players who were on it, and I’ll never forget the fantastic joy and excitement that they created for me as a fan, and as a spectator/viewer.

Thanks to John McLean for alerting me to this sad news so quickly.

— Tom