Don Granato

Don Granato (born August 11, 1967) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career 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. After college he played for two years with the Columbus Chill of the ECHL before retiring as player in order to move into coaching. Coaching career 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. 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). During the 2000–01 AHL season, Granato won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the most outstanding coach of the AHL. 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. 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. On June 15, 2017, he became an assistant coach, along with Ulf Samuelsson, under Joel Quenneville of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.