Tony Granato
Anthony Lewis " Tony" Granato ( born July 25, 1964 in Downers Grove, Illinois ) is a retired American professional ice hockey player who is on 1988-2001 for the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League played the position of right winger. He is currently assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Career
After he had played in high school at the Northwood Huskies, he moved in 1983 for four years at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Twice he played for the U.S. team at the Junior World Cup. The New York Rangers had already secured the rights to him at the NHL Entry Draft in 1982 in the sixth round as the 120th. From 1985 to 1987 he participated in three World Ice Hockey Championships. After his time at the University, he joined in the summer of 1987 for Team USA to prepare there on the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. After the Olympics, he finished the season in the International Hockey League farm team in the Rangers, at the Colorado Rangers.
From the 1988/89 season he played in the National Hockey League. A good rookie season earned him a place in the NHL All- Rookie Team. The Rangers committed in January 1990 Bernie Nicholls, in return Granato joined together with Tomas Sandström to the Los Angeles Kings. In five years in Los Angeles, he scored three times in more than 30 goals and helped in the season 1992 /93, to lead the Kings for the first time in their history in the final series for the Stanley Cup.
For the 1996/97 season Granato moved to the San Jose Sharks, though he had suffered a serious head injury in the preseason. There he became the leading player and has won both the invitation to the NHL All-Star Game in 1997 and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the end of the season. In San Jose, he ended his active career in 2001.
He was assistant coach at the Colorado Avalanche in 2002, but shortly afterwards assumed the job of the head coach. For the season 2005/ 06 he entered back into the second row and was assistant coach Joel Quenneville of. In the 2008 /09 season Granato was a second time head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, but was there discharged after the worst season so far the balance of the team on 3 June 2009. Since August 5, 2009 he is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Cammi Granato, one of the best hockey players in the United States, is his younger sister. She is married to Ray Ferraro.