| Tony Granato | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Granato in 2011 | |||
| Born | (1964-07-25)July 25, 1964 (age 60) Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 120th overall,1982 New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1988–2001 | ||
| Coaching career | |||
| Biographical details | |||
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin | ||
| Playing career | |||
| 1983–1987 | Wisconsin | ||
| Position(s) | Left Wing | ||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||
| 2002 | Colorado Avalanche (Asst.) | ||
| 2002–2004 | Colorado Avalanche | ||
| 2005–2008 | Colorado Avalanche (Asst.) | ||
| 2008–2009 | Colorado Avalanche | ||
| 2009–2014 | Pittsburgh Penguins (Asst.) | ||
| 2014 | Team USA (Asst.) | ||
| 2014–2016 | Detroit Red Wings (Asst.) | ||
| 2016–2023 | Wisconsin | ||
| 2017 | Team USA | ||
| 2018 | Team USA | ||
| Head coaching record | |||
| Overall | 105–129–16 (.452) [College] | ||
| Tournaments | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||
| Championships | |||
| 2021Big Ten Champion | |||
| Awards | |||
| 2×Big Ten Coach of the Year (2017, 2021) | |||
Anthony Lewis Granato (born July 25, 1964) is an American formerprofessionalice hockeyleft winger and former head coach of theWisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. He served as head coach of theUnited States men's national ice hockey team at the2018 Winter Olympics. Previously, he was thehead coach of theNational Hockey League (NHL)'sColorado Avalanche, as well as an assistant coach for theDetroit Red Wings and thePittsburgh Penguins.[1]
After high school, Granato was drafted by theNew York Rangers in the sixth round, 120th overall, in the1982 NHL Entry Draft. After a college career at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, Granato made an immediate impact in hisfirst season with the Rangers in 1988–89, leading the team in goals scored (36), which still stands as the team record for goals by a rookie. In what Rangers at the time called "the biggest [deal] in club history", Granato was traded with teammateTomas Sandström to theLos Angeles Kings on January 20, 1990, in exchange for centerBernie Nicholls.[2]
Granato continued to be a prolific goal scorer with the Kings and was a key player in their run to the1993 Stanley Cup Finals, contributing 17 points over the course of theplayoffs.[3][4] During a February 9, 1994, game in Los Angeles, Granato, after receiving a hard hit from theChicago Blackhawks'Neil Wilkinson, retaliated by hitting Wilkinson in the head with a two-handed slash. Granato was subsequently suspended by the NHL for 15 games. As of 2012, this was the seventh-longest suspension in NHL history. On January 25, 1996, Granato suffered a serious head injury in a game against theHartford Whalers that resulted in a bleeding on the left lobe of his brain.[5] He underwent surgery and although there was speculation he would not play again, he returned to the ice in the1996–97 NHL season after being traded to theSan Jose Sharks.[6]
Granato returned to the ice in the1996–97 NHL season with San Jose. Due to concerns of further brain injury, Granato wore a specially padded helmet as a precautionary measure.[7] He had a productive first season in San Jose registering 25 goals and 15 assists in 76 games. In 1997, Granato received theBill Masterton Memorial Trophy. However, his productivity steadily declined, with only 59 collective points in his remaining four seasons with the Sharks.[8] He retired as a player after the 2001 season.
Granato joined theColorado Avalanche as an assistant coach prior to the2002–03 NHL season. After a sub-par start to the season, the Avalanche fired head coachBob Hartley on December 18, 2002, and Granato was subsequently promoted to replace him.[9] Following the slow start under Hartley, the Avalanche went 32–11–4–4 under Granato and captured their ninth consecutive division title (including one title as theQuebec Nordiques). However, they lost in the first round of the2003 Stanley Cup playoffs to theMinnesota Wild in seven games after a 3–1 series lead. In his first full season behind the bench, Granato led Colorado to a 40–22–20 record, finishing second in their division. During the2004 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Avalanche defeated theDallas Stars in five games in the quarter-finals, but lost to the Sharks in six games in the semi-finals.
After the disappointing playoff loss to the Sharks, Granato was replaced byJoel Quenneville. Granato was reassigned and agreed to stay on as an assistant,[10] holding that position for three seasons. On May 22, 2008, Granato was renamed head coach of the Avalanche after the departure of Quenneville for the2008–09 NHL season.[11][12] The Avalanche posted a record of 32–45–5, the worst since the team moved from Quebec in 1995, and Granato was fired on June 5, 2009.[13][14]
On August 5, 2009, Granato joined the coaching staff of thePittsburgh Penguins, signing on as an assistant coach. Granato guided the Penguin's defense (2.49 goals against per game, tenth) and penalty killing (85.0 percent, fifth) to top-ten league finishes during the2013–14 NHL season.[1]
On June 25, 2014, it was announced the Penguins would not retain their coaching staff for the2014–15 season.[15]
On July 15, 2014, Granato was hired as an assistant coach for theDetroit Red Wings.[16]
On March 30, 2016, Granato was named the head coach at hisalma mater, theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.[17][18]
On August 4, 2017, Granato was announced as the head coach for theUnited States national team during the2018 Winter Olympics.[19] His team eventually placed seventh.[20]
On March 6, 2023, University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced that Granato would not return for the 2023-24 season.[21]
Granato is the older brother ofHall of Fame hockey playerCammi Granato, and is the brother-in-law of former NHL playerRay Ferraro. Tony and his wife, Linda, are the parents of four children. Tony still has a lot of personal connections to his hometown,Downers Grove. SiblingsDon, Rob, andCammi were influenced by theChicago Blackhawks and the1980 Winter Olympics USA gold medal. He is now (2023) a TV analyst for both the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks.[22]
On December 11, 2023, Granato announced that he had been diagnosed withNon-Hodgkin lymphoma, and that he would be taking a leave of absence from his television career to begin treatment on the cancer that same week.[23] After a four week absence, Granato returned to broadcasting for the first time on January 7, 2024.[24]
Granato is a Christian.[24]
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHASecond Team | 1984–85 | [25] |
| AHCAWest Second-Team All-American | 1984–85 | [26] |
| All-WCHASecond Team | 1986–87 | [25] |
| AHCAWest Second-Team All-American | 1986–87 | [26] |
| NCAA (WCHA) Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year | 1986–87 | |
| NHL All-Rookie Team | 1988–89 | |
| All-Star Game | 1996–97 | |
| NHLBill Masterton Memorial Trophy | 1996–97 | |
| United States Hockey Hall of Fame | 2020 | [27] |
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1981–82 | Northwood School | HS-Prep | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Northwood School | HS-Prep | 34 | 32 | 60 | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 35 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 33 | 34 | 67 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 32 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 28 | 45 | 73 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | United States | Intl | 49 | 40 | 31 | 71 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Colorado Rangers | IHL | 21 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 36 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 36 | 27 | 63 | 140 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21 | ||
| 1989–90 | New York Rangers | NHL | 37 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 19 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 45 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 68 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 154 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 28 | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 39 | 29 | 68 | 187 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 37 | 45 | 82 | 171 | 24 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 50 | ||
| 1993–94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 50 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 150 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 33 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 49 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 76 | 25 | 15 | 40 | 159 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 59 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 35 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 54 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 48 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 39 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 2000–01 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 61 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 65 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 774 | 248 | 244 | 492 | 1,425 | 79 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 141 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | United States | WJC | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1984 | United States | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1985 | United States | WC | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
| 1986 | United States | WC | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | |
| 1987 | United States | WC | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | |
| 1988 | United States | OG | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1991 | United States | CC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | |||
| Senior totals | 39 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 46 | |||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win% | Result | ||
| COL | 2002–03 | 51 | 32 | 11 | 4 | 4 | (105) | 1st inNorthwest | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals (MIN) |
| COL | 2003–04 | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 100 | 2nd in Northwest | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost in Conference Semifinals (SJ) |
| COL | 2008–09 | 82 | 32 | 45 | — | 5 | 69 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 215 | 104 | 78 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 2 playoff appearances | |||
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Badgers(Big Ten)(2016–2023) | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | Wisconsin | 20–15–1 | 12–8–0 | 2nd | Big Ten Runner-Up | ||||
| 2017–18 | Wisconsin | 14–19–4 | 8–13–3 | 6th | Big Ten Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2018–19 | Wisconsin | 14–18–5 | 9–10–5–2 | 5th | Big Ten Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2019–20 | Wisconsin | 14–20–2 | 7–15–2–2 | 7th | Big Ten Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2020–21 | Wisconsin | 20–10–1 | 17–6–1 | 1st | NCAA East Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2021–22 | Wisconsin | 10–24–3 | 6–17–1 | T–5th | Big Ten Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2022–23 | Wisconsin | 13–23–0 | 6–18–0 | 7th | Big Ten Quarterfinal | ||||
| Wisconsin: | 105–129–16 | 65–87–12 | |||||||
| Total: | 105–129–16 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Award Created | WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year 1987–88 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Winner 1988–89 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Big Ten Coach of the Year 2016–17 2020–21 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Colorado Avalanche head coach 2002–04 2008–09 | Succeeded by |