Tony Granato
| Tony Granato | |
|---|---|
 Assistant coach of the Penguins, October 2011 | |
| Born | July 25, 1964 Downers Grove, IL, USA |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| 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 |
Anthony Lewis Granato (born July 25, 1964[1]) is an American retired National Hockey League left winger and a former head coach and assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche. He was named an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 5, 2009.[2]
Playing Career
New York Rangers
Following a college career at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Granato was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round (120th overall) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. Granato made an immediate impact in his first NHL season with the Rangers, leading the team in goals scored (36). The following season, in what the Rangers officials (at the time) called 'the biggest [deal] in club history' Granato, along with Rangers teammate Tomas Sandstrom, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on January 20, 1990 for center Bernie Nicholls.[3]
Los Angeles Kings
Granato continued to be a prolific goal scorer with Kings. During a February 9, 1994 game in Los Angeles, Granato, after receiving a hard hit from Chicago's 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 7th longest suspension in NHL history. In 1997, while with the Sharks, Granato received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. On January 25, 1996, while still with the Kings, Granato suffered a serious head injury in a game against Hartford that resulted in a bleeding on the left lobe of his brain.[4] He underwent surgery, and although there was speculation that he would not play again, he did return to the ice in the 1996-97 season after having been traded to the San Jose Sharks.[5]
San Jose Sharks
Granato returned to the ice in 1996 with the San Jose Sharks. Due to concerns of further brain injury, Granato wore a specially padded helmet as a precautionary measure. [6] After returning to the NHL with a productive first season in San Jose registering 25 goals and 15 assists in 76 games, Granato's productivity steadily declined, with only 59 collective points in his remaining four season with the Sharks.[7] He retired as a player after the 2001 season.
Coaching career
Granato joined the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach prior to the 2002–03 season. After a sub-par start to the season, the Avalanche fired head coach Bob Hartley on December 18, 2002, and Granato was subsequently promoted to permanent head coach.[8] Despite the slow start under Hartley, the Avalanche went 32–11–4-4 under Granato and captured their ninth consecutive division title (including the one won as the Quebec Nordiques). However, they lost in the first round of the 2003 playoffs to the Minnesota Wild in 7 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. After defeating the Dallas Stars in 5 games, the Avalanche lost to the San Jose Sharks in 6.
After the disappointing playoff loss to the Sharks, Granato was replaced by Joel Quenneville. Granato was re-assigned and agreed to stay on as an assistant.[9] He held that position for three seasons. On May 22, 2008, Granato was once again named head coach of the Avalanche after the departure of Quenneville for the 2008-09 season.[10][11] The Avs 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.[12][13]
On August 5, 2009, Granato joined the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Penguins, signing on as an assistant coach.[2]
Hall of Fame hockey player Cammi Granato is his younger sister and former NHL player Ray Ferraro is his brother-in-law. He has four children.
Awards and achievements
- 1988–89 NHL All-Rookie Team
- 1996–97 All-Star Game
- 1996–97 NHL Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1983–84 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 35 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | U. of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 33 | 34 | 67 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | U. of Wisconsin | WCHA | 32 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | U. of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 28 | 45 | 73 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | 1425 | 79 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 141 | ||||
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| COL | 2002–03 | 51 | 32 | 11 | 4 | 4 | (105) | 1st in Northwest | Lost in first round |
| COL | 2003–04 | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 100 | 2nd in Northwest | Lost in second round |
| COL | 2008–09 | 82 | 32 | 45 | - | 5 | 69 | 5th in Northwest | Did not qualify |
| Total | 215 | 104 | 78 | 17 | 16 | — | — | — | |
See also
References
- ↑ Tony Granato at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tony Granato". National Hockey League. 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-21/sports/sp-901_1_bernie-nicholls
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-31/sports/sp-30635_1_tony-granato
- ↑ http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10553
- ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/New-Shark-Survived-A-Scare-Granato-suffered-2966797.php
- ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8447350
- ↑ "Hartley fired by Avalanche". deseretnews.com. 2002-12-19. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ↑ "Granato will reutrn to assistant job". ESPN.com. 2004-07-08. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ↑ "Granato named head coach". avalanche.nhl.com. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ↑ "Granato introduced as head coach of Avalanche". avalanche.nhl.com. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ↑ Frei, Terry (2009-06-03). "Granato gone as Avs clean house". denverpost.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ↑ Dater, Adrian (2009-06-03). "Ex-Avs coach: "Nature of the Game"". denverpost.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
External links
| Preceded by Gary Roberts |
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner 1997 |
Succeeded by Jamie McLennan |
| Preceded by Bob Hartley |
Colorado Avalanche head coach 2002–04 |
Succeeded by Joel Quenneville |
| Preceded by Joel Quenneville |
Colorado Avalanche head coach 2008–09 |
Succeeded by Joe Sacco |
| Preceded by Jan Erixon |
Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Winner 1988–89 NHL season |
Succeeded by Kelly Kisio John Vanbiesbrouck |
| |||||