Tony Granato joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach following their 2009 Stanley Cup victory and was a huge piece behind the bench for the next few seasons.
Prior to the 2014-15 season, the Penguins announced that Granato would not return as an assistant coach.
In the years following, Granato was named an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings before leaving the NHL to head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he played college hockey.
This year, Granato started with NBC Sports Chicago covering Blackhawks games, but he is now taking a leave of absence due to a medical diagnosis.
Granato stated on his Twitter that he was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and is beginning treatment this week.
Granato is only 59-years-old and before kicking off a career behind NHL benches, he played 774 games between the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks.
A native of Illinois, Granato represented Team USA on numerous occasions including the 1988 Olympic team.
After calling an end to his playing days, Granato started out as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.
While in Colorado, he eventually became the head coach and led the Avalanche for parts of three seasons picking up a 104-78-17 career head coaching record.
The hockey world has reached out and shared their love for on of the more popular faces in the sport.
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