Tony Granato

Tony Granato
As assistant coach of the Penguins, October 2011
Born	(1964-07-25) July 25, 1964 (age 52) 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

Anthony Lewis Granato (born July 25, 1964) is a retired American professional ice hockey left winger. He is currently in his first year as head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. Previously he was an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Granato also served as the head coach and assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche and assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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 in the 1988-89 season, leading the team in goals scored (36), which still stands as the team record for goals by a rookie. The following season, in what the Rangers officials (at the time) called 'the biggest [deal] in club history' Granato, along with Rangers teammate Tomas Sandström, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on January 20, 1990 for center Bernie Nicholls.

Granato continued to be a prolific goal scorer with the Kings and was a key player in their run to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, contributing 17 points over the course of the playoffs. 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. On January 25, 1996, Granato suffered a serious head injury in a game against Hartford that resulted in a bleeding on the left lobe of his brain. 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.