Tutton’s return was special in several ways. There was the big win. Being a fan of country music, he loved the post-game concert put on by Scotty McCreery. In his undershirt and shorts, with an ice pack on his back, an ankle still taped and still soaked in sweat, he stood at the front of the stage enjoying the music.
The next day, the players all piled into vans and drove to Nashville for the team’s annual overnight bonding experience. Everybody was in a good mood because of the win. Tutton, 25, who has a weekday job as an apprentice lineman working hydro wires, then flew from Music City to Toronto and was soon helping his parents cope with flood waters at their home in Bowmanville, Ontario.
As a teen, Tutton attended The Hill Academy just north of Toronto, where his field lacrosse coach was Brodie Merrill, now captain of the NLL team the Swarm just beat.
“He was a mentor to me,” Tutton said. “He taught me so much. I’ve still got a picture of him from an Inside Lacrosse magazine on my wall at home. I’d say one of the biggest things I took away from The Hill and being coached by Brodie is learning how to be the person you want to be — not just in lacrosse, but in life in general.”
Current NLL players Jason and Jeremy Noble, Dan Lintner, Reilly O’Connor and Leo Stouros were among Tutton’s teammates at The Hill.
Tutton won two Canadian junior indoor championships with the Whitby Warriors when Saskatchewan Rush general manager and coach Derek Keenan was his coach.
“I learned a lot from him as a player and as a person,” Tutton said.
“He’s a beast of an athlete,” Keenan said. “He’s so big and strong, and skilled, too. He’s one of those guys who is hard to play against because he can do a lot of different things. He’s physical, tough. He’s a big reason why we won two Minto Cups.”
Current NLL players that were on those teams include Lintner of the Rock, Saskatchewan’s Adrian Sorichetti and Curtis Knight, New England’s John LaFontaine and Buffalo goalie Alex Buque.
Then it was onto the University of North Carolina to play field lacrosse. Tutton, a midfielder, was the first Canadian recruited there by coach Joe Breschi. He scored 33 goals as a senior in 2015.
“He’s an energizer bunny type of guy,” Breschi said. “He’s out there going a hundred miles an hour all the time.”
PHOTO BY NLL PHOTOS
Tutton, a country music fan, takes a photo with Scotty McCreery in the Georgia Swarm locker room before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Rock. McCreery performed at halftime.
Tutton was the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NLL entry draft, winding up on the same team as his buddies from The Hill, Jason Noble and Leo Stouros.
“It came full circle. We went our separate ways for college and now we’re back playing with each other. That speaks to the caliber of athlete The Hill turns out,” Tutton said. “Guys are going D-I out of there all the time and going on to being pro players in the NLL and the NHL.”
Tutton scored 14 goals in his rookie NLL season and four in his second season. His role had changed.
“My first year, our offensive firepower wasn’t what it was in my second year. I took more of a defensive role because that’s what our team needed,” Tutton said. “I didn’t need to be up in the offense quite as much.”
Tutton celebrated the Swarm’s NLL title-clinching victory in crutches after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in the semifinal round.
It was seconds after a faceoff in the playoff semifinals last spring when his left ankle gave out.
“It was a complete tendon rupture,” he said. “I had surgery a week later and was in a plaster cast for a week then a walking cast for 2 1-2 months.
“It was a bit of a challenge, especially for the first month and a half. I couldn’t put any pressure on the foot. It was very difficult doing simple tasks like making lunch. It was pretty frustrating. It got easier once I was more mobile and could walk in the boot.”
Tutton was on crutches when the Swarm beat the Rush to win the title.
“That was an experience. Even though I wasn’t playing I was there with the owners [John Arlotta and son Andy Arlotta] and their family and some of the front office people,” Tutton said. “I remember crutching it as fast as I could through the arena concourse past all those unhappy Rush fans. I was so excited to get down to the floor to see the guys.”
A special friend, Christina Shaw, helped him through rehab.
“She was my rock through the whole thing,” Tutton said. “She’s been incredible.”
A special physiotherapist, Amit Sindhwani, who also works with Toronto’s NHL players, had a big hand in his recovery, too. He got the green light earlier this month.
“You’re cleared to play.”
The words were as sweet to Tutton’s ears as a Scotty McCreery tune.
“That was the best sentence I’ve heard in a long time,” he said. “It was almost surreal. It was a euphoric feeling knowing I’d be back playing the game I love so much and that has become such a big part of my life.”
Tutton was nervous as he put on his pads.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be getting what I’d lost in the nine months back right away. I had to play within myself and not try to do too much,” he said. “I think I did a pretty good job of just getting back into the swing of things and contributing where I could and not trying to do too much. Our coaches have kept reminding me, ‘Stay with it, and you’ll get back to where you were.’”
Nobody who has followed Tutton’s lacrosse career doubts that he will return to form.
Asked why he likes lacrosse so much, Tutton replied, “I don’t like lacrosse. I love lacrosse. I’ve played since I was 2 or 3 years old. It has given so much to me. I’ve represented my country and lacrosse brought me to a great school, UNC. No matter how much you get banged up, you’re always going to come back to it.”