Suter himself got back on the ice for the first time three weeks ago. It was a long, arduous process just to get to that point, with him unable to even sleep in his own bed for the first month.
Unable to put any weight on his right foot for the first several weeks after surgery to repair the fractured right fibula and talus bone in his ankle, Suter was resigned to use of a scooter just to get around the house.
After ditching that for crutches in early June, Suter hopped around on those for about a month before finally having his cast removed around the Fourth of July.
Suter walked for a few weeks before getting on skates for the first time at his hockey camp the last week of July. It wasn't pretty at first, but Suter says he's made major strides over that time and is feeling comfortable with where he's at in his recovery.
"I'm maybe a week-and-a-half behind of where I'd be in the summer time," Suter said. "I'd usually start skating at the end of July, so maybe two weeks. But by next week, I'll be putting the equipment on and skating. Right now, I'm just trying to get the bad stuff out of there."
Normally, Suter would spend about an hour in the morning working out, then head to the rink for a skate in the afternoon. During his rehab, however, Suter has been spending three hours per day in the gym and is just now getting back to his on-ice work.
Suter, his wife, Becky and their now four children -- Becky gave birth to son Beau in April -- will head back to the Twin Cities in three weeks to get ready for the school year and for training camp.