Don Granato | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S. | August 11, 1967||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
Position | Center | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | Columbus Chill | ||
Coached for | Buffalo Sabres | ||
NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
Playing career | 1991–1993 | ||
Coaching career | 1993–2024 |
Donald Granato (born August 11, 1967) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).
After two years playing with the then named Madison Capitals of the United States Hockey League (USHL), Granato was recruited to play for the University of Wisconsin and played there for four years, winning a national title in the 1989–90 season. During his last year with the team in 1990–91, he served as team's captain. [1] After college he played for two years with the Columbus Chill of the ECHL before retiring as player in order to move into coaching. [1]
Granato served as head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers and Wisconsin Capitols of the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 1993 to 1997, where he led the Gamblers to the league finals. [2] He was then hired by the Columbus Chill of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1997 and then Peoria Rivermen in 1999. He won the Kelly Cup as a coach in 2000 with the Peoria Rivermen and was then promoted to head coach of the Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League (AHL). [1] During the 2000–01 AHL season, Granato won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the most outstanding coach of the AHL. [2] After five seasons with the IceCats, he was promoted to an assistant coach with their National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, the St. Louis Blues. In 2008, he became head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the AHL but was released in 2009 after seven games. [2] [1]
From 2013 to 2016, he was head coach of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. In March 2016, Granato assumed an assistant coaching position under his brother, Tony, with the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. [3] On June 15, 2017, he became an assistant coach, along with Ulf Samuelsson, under Joel Quenneville of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. [4]
In 2019, he was hired as an assistant coach of the Buffalo Sabres. [5] On March 17, 2021, Granato became the interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, replacing the fired Ralph Krueger. [6] [7] Granato posted a 9–16–3 record in 28 games with the Sabres to finish off the 2020–21 season head coach. The interim tag was removed on June 29. [8]
On April 16, 2024, Granato was fired by the Sabres after the team failed to make the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season. [9]
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason Gii historic Result | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BUF | 2020–21 | 28 | 9 | 16 | 3 | (21) | 8th in East | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | ||
BUF | 2021–22 | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 75 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | ||
BUF | 2022–23 | 82 | 42 | 33 | 7 | 91 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | ||
BUF | 2023–24 | 82 | 39 | 37 | 6 | 84 | 6th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | ||
Total | 274 | 122 | 125 | 27 | — | — | — |
Granato currently serves as an analyst for NHL Network Radio on SiriusXM. [10]
Granato is the brother of Cammi and Tony, and the brother-in-law of Ray Ferraro. [11]
Kevyn William Adams is an American former professional ice hockey center and current general manager of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. During his career, Adams played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Phoenix Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks, and was also a former associate coach for the Sabres.
The Green Bay Gamblers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). They play in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, at the Resch Center.
Daniel Brian Bylsma is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was previously head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL, as well as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings, and head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He also was the former head coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team. Bylsma won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009, just four months after being promoted to Pittsburgh's head coaching position.
Jeff Cowan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Cowan was a left winger and played 434 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2019, he was named the interim head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.
Kjell William Alf Samuelsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning between 1985 and 1999. On December 17, 2018 he was named interim assistant coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. He was then the Flyers' director of player development for ten years, before being fired on June 1, 2023.
Chris Taylor is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who is currently an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in 149 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres. In 2017, Taylor was named the head coach of the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League, the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. In 2019, he was recalled by the Sabres as an assistant coach on an interim basis and returned to the Americans in late November, staying until June 2020.
Gregg Naumenko is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played two seasons for the USHL's North Iowa Huskies and one season for the University of Alaska Anchorage before beginning his professional career. He played two games for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2001, spending the majority of his career in the minor leagues.
Joseph William Sacco is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the interim head coach for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). His younger brother David Sacco also played in the NHL.
Gregory Curtis Brown is an American ice hockey coach and a former professional player, most notably for the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is currently the head coach of the Boston College Eagles, an NCAA Division I team competing in Hockey East. Previously, Brown was a member of the Eagles coaching staff for fourteen years from 2004–2018, serving as an assistant coach under Jerry York and later alongside him as associate head coach. He also coached under David Quinn with the New York Rangers from 2018–2021 and served as the head coach for the Dubuque Fighting Saints for the 2021–22 USHL season.
The Columbus Chill were a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League from October 1991 through the 1998–99 season. They played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. The Chill left Columbus in 1999 and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania, with the impending arrival of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League. The Columbus Chill are now known as the Reading Royals.
Nathan Oystrick is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Oystrick has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues. He was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the seventh round, 198th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Oystrick was named head coach of the Humboldt Broncos on July 3, 2018, but quit the position less than six months later without explanation.
Tyson Strachan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fifth round, 137th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Peter "Son" Mannino is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current assistant coach for the Colorado College Tigers. He played six games in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers, and the Winnipeg Jets.
David Baseggio is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. Baseggio was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently employed as the director of pro scouting for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League.
Steve Pleau is an American former ice hockey coach. He is currently employed by the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL) as their head professional scout.
Rick Kowalsky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 10th round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.
Jordan Blaine Samuels-Thomas is an American National Hockey League referee and former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He made his officiating debut during the 2021–22 NHL season and has refereed 55 regular season games as of the start of the 2024–25 season.
The Madison Capitols are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. Founded in 2014, the team plays its home games at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, Wisconsin.
The Jacksonville Icemen are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL in Jacksonville, Florida, that began play in the 2017–18 season. The team is affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and plays their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Derek Lalonde is an American professional ice hockey coach who is the head coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).