Wisconsin is expected to hire Tony Granato as its next head coach, according to USCHO.com and ESPN’s John Buccigross.
The Badgers fired 14-year head coach Mike Eaves after a second consecutive dismal season came to a close. Granato, a former NHL head coach and current assistant, appears to be the next man behind the bench for UW.
Granato, 51, would be returning to his alma mater, as he played for Wisconsin from 1983 to 1987. He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award — given to college hockey’s top men’s player — in the 1987 season, in which he scored 28 goals and had 45 assists for 73 points. He was also a two-time second-team All-American.
He went on to have a successful 14-year NHL career with the New York Rangers, the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. He scored 36 goals in his first NHL season with New York, the Rangers record for goals scored by a rookie.
In 1996 with Los Angeles, Granato suffered a head injury that caused a brain bleed, which put into question whether he would be able to continue playing hockey. He returned the following season though, playing with San Jose for five years before retiring in 2001.
He then began his coaching career with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2002-’03 season. He was promoted to head coach after a slow start and led Colorado to the playoffs before they lost in the first round to the Minnesota Wild. The following year, the Avalanche reached the Western Conference Semifinals but fell to the San Jose Sharks.
After that season, he was demoted to assistant coach, where he stayed until the 2008-’09 season, when he was again promoted to head coach. After a losing season, he was fired and moved on as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins for five years. Currently, he is an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, where he is in charge of the defensemen and the penalty kill. Granato was also an assistant for the 2014 United States Olympic Team.
Expected to join his staff are his younger brother, Don Granato, as well as Mark Osiecki. Both were believed to be front runners for the head coaching job and are also former Badger players.
Don coaches the USA Hockey National Development Program, where some of the top hockey youth in the country come to play.
Osiecki was an assistant under Eaves from 2004-2010 before leaving to become the head coach at Ohio State. He coached the Buckeyes for three years and is currently in his third season as an assistant with the Rockford IceHogs, an AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The university has not made an official statement and has no plan to do so, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Red Wings general manager told the Detroit Free Press Sunday that "no matter what decision [Granato] makes, he's with us the rest of the year." Detroit has seven regular-season games remaining. An announcement could be made after the NHL season comes to a close, but the Red Wings currently sit just outside the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, which has the potential to delay this process.
