Gretzky, Crosby think Wisconsin’s in great hands with Granato
October 14, 2017 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot, NHL Badgers, Varsity Magazine
A former NHL player and coach, Tony Granato counts two of hockey’s greatest players as close friends
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Tony Granato cannot explain it other than to say he was lucky.
Fortunate not once, but twice.
Before Granato became the Wisconsin men's hockey coach last March, he spent 26 years in the NHL.
His greatest experience from 13 seasons as a player is working alongside Wayne Gretzky.
His greatest experience from 13 seasons as a coach is working alongside Sidney Crosby.
Two icons. Two treasures. Two faces of the NHL.
"When you go through your playing career and what are you thankful for the most, it was the opportunity to play with Wayne," Granato said. "The most inspiring thing as a coach, it was to coach Sid."
Granato didn't just play with Gretzky on the Los Angeles Kings from 1990 to '96. They were linemates and began an enduring friendship.
Granato didn't just tutor Crosby as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2009 to '14. They became confidantes and admirers of one another.
A year ago, the NHL celebrated its centennial anniversary by having a blue ribbon panel pick the 100 greatest players in its history.
Of the 49 whose career timelines match up with Granato — from 1988 to 2001 — 28 either played with him or were coached by him in some capacity.
The point being that Granato has shared a locker room and a championship quest with a lot of the modern-day elites — Hall of Famers Paul Coffey, Marcel Dionne, Brett Hull, Guy Lafleur, Mark Messier, Larry Robinson, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne and Steve Yzerman among them — and refers to Gretzky and Crosby as the best he's been around.
DYK: Tony Granato had brain surgery, then played in the NHL All-Star Game a year later? #VarsityMag is must-read ?? http://go.wisc.edu/varsity-8-7
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) Oct. 13, 2017
Gretzky, known as "The Great One," became the all-time leading scorer in NHL history from 1979 to '99, won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and was a nine-time Hart Trophy winner as Most Valuable Player.
Crosby, known as "The Next One," has captained the Penguins to three Stanley Cups and Team Canada to a pair of Olympic gold medals since his NHL debut in 2005.
"They are our game, they really are," Granato said of the two. "I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be with both and loved every second of it."
• • • •
Granato had a front-row seat for how Gretzky embraced his role as NHL ambassador and how Crosby willingly, enthusiastically assumed the mantle.
"Seeing what he experienced as the face of hockey and what he did for the game of hockey behind the scenes I admire him in an unbelievable way," Granato said of Gretzky.
"The day-to-day demands he had as a player and representing our league was an amazing feat in itself. I have the utmost amount of respect for his ability to always unselfishly think of the game first."
Granato said Gretzky, 56, set an example for Crosby, 30.
"I see a lot of similarities in the two," Granato said.
"Anything that happens in the world — the world of sports; the world of hockey — the mic goes right into their faces. Anything that happens, good or bad, with your team, the mic goes right in their faces.
"Any controversy, they're always there to represent us as hockey players in as good of a way as you can. That's the part I think is special.
"It says a lot about their values. It says a lot about what kind of person they are. It's really pretty special," Granato said of his friends.
It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that Gretzky and Crosby befriended Granato, one of the greatest players in Wisconsin history who totaled 100 goals and 220 points from 1983 to '87. The three appear to have a lot in common.
Listen to how Granato earned Gretzky's trust.
"Tony never took shortcuts," Gretzky said. "He just wanted to win at all costs. You play with players like that, it's ultimately who you want as a teammate because it really is such a hard sport.
"You need all 20 players whether it's USHL, college hockey or NHL. You all have to be on that same page and if you're not, one guy can be a definite weak link.
"Tony was a leader on the team. He was always accountable. That's how you earn the trust of teammates."
Crosby said Granato earned his trust through his sincere approach to human relations.
"He was just so good at talking to guys," Crosby said. "He cares so much about people. At the end of the day he always wanted to know how guys were doing and wanting to do anything he could to help."
But Granato didn't just connect with those in the LA and Pittsburgh dressing rooms. Support staffers, arena employees and those in the front office felt his presence as well.
"He knows everybody's name when he sees people," Crosby said. "It's not a quick 'Hi', either. It's usually a short conversation.
"It's a part of him. He genuinely does care and you can see that in the way he interacts. Regardless if it's a player or a coach or somebody who's an employee at the rink, it doesn't matter.
"I've seen that from him time and time again."
• • • •
The history between Gretzky and Granato is fascinating.
They became teammates in Los Angeles partly because Gretzky liked how Granato, a right winger, played against him.
Granato began his NHL career with the New York Rangers and was assigned to shadow Gretzky during a game in the 1988-89 season.
"You chase Gretzky around," then-Blueshirts coach Michel Bergeron told Granato.
"I took that as the greatest challenge, the greatest compliment I could have, to have that opportunity," Granato said.
Gretzky later told Kings owner Bruce McNall that he respected the way Granato defended him, which set the stage for a trade on Jan. 20, 1990. Granato and left winger Tomas Sandstrom came to LA in exchange for center Bernie Nicholls.
When Granato joined the Kings for a second-half game at Edmonton, he was informed he'd be rooming with someone he knew only as "W. Douglas."
Granato asked Bob Miller, the former UW radio announcer who'd become the voice of the Kings, if he knew who "W. Douglas" was.
Miller laughed.
"It's Wayne," he said, divulging Gretzky's alias.
When Gretzky showed up the next day, the bonding began.
Granato learned that Gretzky loved his soap operas.
"He was as easy as could be," Granato said.
Gretzky learned that Granato has a deep love for all things Wisconsin even though Granato grew up in Downers Grove, Illinois.
"I'm not surprised he's back with the Badgers," Gretzky laughed. "Rooming with him I watched more Badger football games than I ever imagined I would watch."
On the ice, Gretzky saw Granato, all 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, as "pound-for-pound maybe one of the toughest players to ever play in the National Hockey League."
Want to know what it's like on the bench at the Kohl Center?We mic'd up @TonyGranato to give you a taste.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) Oct. 12, 2017
Gretzky said he and Granato had the same objectives.
"We wanted to play our best every night and win every game," Gretzky said. "Hockey was our focus at that age."
The two men were on the same page right from the start.
"It was a nice friendship right from the very beginning and very compatible," Gretzky said.
What makes Granato, now 53, such a good friend?
"He's a good person. He has no enemies," Gretzky said, emphasizing the difference between Granato's on-ice persona and his off-ice instincts.
"He's got a big heart. He truly treats people with a great deal of respect. What you see is what you get with Tony."
Gretzky said Granato was a major piece to a lineup that reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1993 "because of his unselfishness and his work ethic."
• • • •
When they were playing, Gretzky envisioning Granato as a future coach was far from his mind.
After retiring from the NHL as a member of the San Jose Sharks in 2001, Granato sandwiched two stints as an NHL head coach around an assistant's role with the Colorado Avalanche from 2002 to '09.
From there, Granato worked as an NHL and U.S. Olympic assistant while with the Penguins from 2009 to '14. He then was an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings from 2014 to '16 before leaving to come to Madison.
"Usually the guys that become coaches are the guys that truly go beyond as far as their love for the sport and love for the game," Gretzky said.
"The guys who become coaches are the guys that don't complain whether it's the travel schedule or practice time or how many games you played in how many nights.
"Looking back at it, you kind of realize those are the guys who are going to be around hockey a long time. Tony was that kind of a player."
Turns out Gretzky has ties to Wisconsin hockey beyond his relationship with Granato.
Gretzky grew up in Brantford, Ontario, emulating Dave Pay, a high-scoring winger from St. Catharines, Ontario.
"My favorite player when I was a kid," Gretzky said. "He was the best 17-year-old I ever saw play."
Pay came to UW and played for the Badgers from 1972 to '74. He scored 33 goals in 73 career games and skated on the 1973 NCAA championship team.
Granato said Gretzky got his signature fist pump after scoring a goal from watching Pay, who was drafted in the ninth round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1973 but never reached the NHL.
Gretzky was an admirer of the late Bob Johnson, the one-time UW coach who took Calgary and Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup finals in 1986 and '91, respectively.
"Had a lot of respect for him," Gretzky said, citing Johnson's role in bringing European tactics to the U.S. game.
Gretzky also spoke to the UW football team prior to its appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1994.
What are the chances Gretzky could show up at the Kohl Center to watch his friend in action?
"Crazier things have happened," he said with a laugh.
Gretzky said his most compelling story about Granato involved a near-tragedy in January of 1996.
Three weeks after a thundering on-ice hit with Jeff Brown of the Hartford Whalers, Granato underwent brain surgery to remove a blood clot from his left temporal lobe.
Granato was attending a Super Bowl party at Gretzky's home when the life-threatening condition came to life.
Granato complained of a headache and went to lay down. When his wife, Linda, went to check on him, Gretzky said she found him out of sorts, unable to recognize his four children in photos she produced.
"We called 911," Gretzky said.
A four-hour operation followed and many thought Granato's NHL career was over.
Fast forward to January of 1997 when Granato, playing for San Jose, was named to participate in the NHL All-Star Game.
"They definitely didn't take the part of his brain that says he's tough," Gretzky said.
"He had brain surgery and came back and played. Never talks about it. He got four stitches in the forehead and came out and played the third period as far as he's concerned."
Crosby saw that grit when he and some of his Pittsburgh teammates did a YouTube search of Granato's NHL playing career, one that includes 1,425 penalty minutes.
"He played hard," Crosby said with a snicker. "He didn't look like he was afraid of anything. It looked like he showed up every night to play a pretty tough game."
Granato said his relationship with Crosby grew out of his time with Gretzky.
"Sid is fascinated with Wayne," Granato said. "Admired everything he did.
"He was always asking 'What was he like as a player? What was he like as a teammate? What was he like as a captain?'
"He loves to hear stories. He loves to hear what the game was like."
Big win for the #Badgers!!
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) Oct. 13, 2017
What is Granato's strength as a coach?
"His ability to communicate," Crosby said, noting that Granato handled the penalty-killing units. "When you have a person like him who just genuinely cares about others, guys can feel that right away I think.
"On top of that, he knows the game. He's had experience as a player and a coach. I'm sure he's covered a lot of different things."
Gretzky and Crosby, from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, are Canadian, but they look forward to seeing Granato coach Team USA in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
"It's a team that's going to play with a lot of heart," Gretzky said, noting there's no clear-cut favorite for the gold medal. "His teams are going to play the way he played. They're going to play hard with a great deal of respect for the game and passion."
Crosby said the Americans will be well-prepared in part because of Granato.
"He's very detailed," Crosby said. "On top of being very detailed, he's able to communicate well, so when you're in a short-term event like that, guys have to understand quickly and be prepared. He'll be really good at that."
Crosby attended Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota) High School and once practiced at the Kohl Center before playing a midget game against the Madison Capitols.
Crosby then starred for Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before moving to the NHL.
The major junior route has served Crosby and many of his peers well, but what if a prospect was weighing options that included Wisconsin?
"I'd be pretty biased towards Tony just because I've played for him and gotten to know him," Crosby said. "I know everything that he's all about.
"If you want somebody who's going to be invested and want you to improve as a player and as a person, I know from experience that he's that kind of guy."
Crosby said the decision between major junior and college is a separate conversation, but "I would definitely vouch for Tony and what he brings and the type of person he is."
Crosby said it was great to see Granato at UW.
"He's so good in that position," Crosby said. "Whether those players move on to play at higher levels or they don't, it doesn't matter because he's going to have an impact on their lives."
