He played for the Montreal Junior Canadiens in 1966-67. Sutherland turned pro in 1967-68 and played mostly in the International Hockey League until 1972. In that year he joined the Sharks of the WHA. He played in the WHA until his retirement in 1978. In 379 regular season WHA games, Sutherland scored 97 goals and 76 assists. In 52 playoff games, he scored 9 goals and 6 assists. His team (the Nordiques) won the Avco World Trophy in 1976-77.