Wild's Ryan Suter releases statement after father's passing; owner flying team to funeral

Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter issued a statement the day after the sudden death of his father and "Miracle on Ice" alumnus, Bob Suter, on Tuesday.

Per the Wild's official website:

Ryan Suter Statement

The sudden loss of my father has been difficult for myself and our family - my dad was my hero and he taught me about life, hockey and what was truly important - family. He will be missed greatly and his legacy and spirit will be with us every day. He lived with the motto “it’s all about the kids” and forever he will be remembered by this.

My family and I also want to say thank you for the tremendous outpouring of support we have received from the hockey community around the world. It means a lot to us to know how much he was loved and will be missed.

Bob Suter scouted the USHL and Wisconsin high schools over the past two years for the Wild, and was seen as a valuable member of the team's scouting staff, both professionally and personally. In a touching move of generosity, Wild owner Craig Leipold plans to fly the entire team, as well as the Suter family, to Bob's funeral.

"Bob was a tremendous asset to our scouting staff," assistant GM Brent Flahr said, as per the Star Tribune. "He loved the game of hockey, he was around rinks all of his life, and he had a natural eye for talent. He put countless miles on his truck in order to scout games for us and he loved to talk hockey. 

"He was a lot of fun to have at meetings, he had a great sense of humor, and was just a positive guy to be around," Flahr continued. "It was a sad day for all of our staff and he will be greatly missed."