Wisconsin Hockey loses assistant coach Don Granato to the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL
A year after a renaissance of sorts for Wisconsin Hockey, assistant coach Don Granato is departing Madison to take the same position with the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL.
The impetus will be on his brother, head coach Tony Granato, to keep the rebuild on or ahead of schedule without Don Granato on the bench.
A news release from the UW Athletic Department makes clear that while Don Granato is leaving, head coach Tony Granto has no intention of following suit. The reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year said he is “not going anywhere.”
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"Tony Granato and Co. inherited a program that had won 12 of 70 games from 2014 to ’16 and promptly executed a dramatic turnaround.The Badgers finished 20-15-1 overall, placed second in the Big Ten Conference and narrowly missed qualifying for the 16-team NCAA tournament."
He also coached at lower professional ranks of American hockey as well as a season as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues. Don Granto coached “nearly five seasons as a head coach with the U.S. National Team Development Program” prior to rejoining the Wisconsin Hockey program in before the 2016 season.
During his playing career at Wisconsin Hockey, Don Granto skated with the Badgers to the 1990 NCAA Championship. He captained the team during the 1990-1991 season. He tallied 88 points with Wisconsin Hockey nearly evenly split between goals-assists (45-43).
There appears to be nothing more to this news than Don Granato wanted to coach in the NHL again. No signs of internal turmoil, salary disputes, or administrative challenges that have led to turnover among the assistant coaching ranks for Badger football.
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As the news release notes, this isn’t a shocking development for Tony Granato or Wisconsin Hockey. Wisconsin Hockey won’t be left scrambling without warning to fill Don’s place on the coaching staff. Frankly, the most likely impact is that the Chicago Blackhawks might get some good intel on Wisconsin Hockey prospects.