Coach: Tony Granato
Sport: Men's Hockey
School: University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Named the U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Team coach for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
- Coached in the NHL for 13 years.
- Named the 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
- Played in the NHL for 13 years.
- Was an assistant coach for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team.
Head Men's Hockey Coach, Tony Granato, returns to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after a successful career of both playing and coaching in the NHL for over 25 years. Coach Granato was a two-time All-American for the Badgers and is a member of the UW Athletics Hall of Fame.
Coach Granato has an overall rating of 4.9/5.0 on 2aDays and his players have this to say about him:
“Extremely personable. Truly cares about all of his players and staff. The kind of coach you would do anything for and want to play for.”
During the month of February 2018, Granato coached the U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Team coach for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea after previously being a member of Team USA himself at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.
Named the 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year and a finalist for national coach of the year, Granato saw his team reach the Big Ten Tournament championship game and finish second overall in the conference after the program seeing only 12 wins out of 70 games the previous two seasons.
Granato has played in the NHL for the New York Rangers, the Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks and set a record for rookie goal scoring (with 36 goals in a season) while playing for the Rangers as well as played in the Stanley Cup Final while playing with Wayne Gretzky. Likewise, Granato has coached for the Detroit Red Wings, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and posted winning records in 12 of his 13 seasons as an NHL coach.
Information and image courtesy of The University of Wisconsin – Madison
* Originally published on March 1, 2018, by Bryan Sosoo
