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This article is a mini bio of Don Granato. It follows his path from player to coaching to scout back to coaching. It attempts to show how he thinks the game. The quotes give you an idea, but you have to read the article for the details that put it into context.
I wasn't aware of this:
Granato then led the Worcester IceCats to the AHL regular-season title in 2000-01, compiling franchise records in wins (48) and points (108). He received the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as AHL coach of the year that season, his first in the league. He beat out Mike Babcock and Bruce Boudreau.
How Don Granato's career path might fit what the Sabres need in a coach
Nick Fohr (10th year as an assistant coach at NTDP:
“I’ve told many people this over the years: he’s the smartest hockey guy I’ve ever been around A very, very good teacher. I remember having the conversation about we’ve learned how to develop these young kids, what they can handle, where we need to focus on. I remember him saying, ‘How can we develop them faster? We know how to develop them. We know the things we need to do, but can we accelerate that process?' From year one to year five, we got much better at accelerating that process and moving those kids along much quicker. I think that was the biggest evolution.”
Scott Monaghan, assistant executive director of NTDP:
“I think he brought us forward a little bit on how we play, being a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more offensive-minded. I don’t even want to say that necessarily, but he had us play based on our personnel and talent. Letting kids play, giving them basic concepts of what they need to do within a team, but also letting them, you know, make mistakes. … You have to let kids make mistakes at our level. He allowed them to make those mistakes and did not let those mistakes become habits. For most of us, as we get older, it’s harder to understand what it takes to connect to these 16- and 17-year-old kids. But Donnie was really good at it. … He also did a great, great job of interacting with parents. That was unique. I hadn’t seen one of our coaches run through video with a parent. It was never confrontational. It was more like, ‘Hey, if you’re concerned about what’s going on, here’s why we’re doing this.’ ”
Joel Quenneville:
Donnie was very smart as far as his involvement with players, his relationship with the players and getting guys to play the right way. Donnie had a good idea of a neutral-zone possession game, how to attack, how to keep pucks, how to be a threat to score. He had some really special players there when he was with the development program, as well and he was at every different level, so he got a different flavor of what’s necessary to be a coach and to be a coach at our level.”
Tage Thompson:
“I think he challenges everyone. I think that’s what we need. I think that says a lot about him. Obviously, he sees a lot in us and knows what we’re capable of and holds us to a higher standard.”
Jason Christie, a former teammate, player, and assistant of Granato:
“He’s ahead of his time as far as reading the game and reading players. He lives it. He absolutely takes pride in everything he does. We all say we do, but he’s beyond that. He takes it to the next level.”
Kevyn Adams:
“You know his track record. He has an experience of working with young players. What I think he did very well was crystal-clear communication on expectations of how each individual was going to play and what the expectations are from how the team was going to play. Certainly, we have a lot of young players, so the development was critical.”
Don Granato:
“Older players used to dominate the league. You didn’t have clout in the NHL until you were 28 or 30 years old. But there has been a complete transformation in the NHL. There’s been a complete power shift to the young player. … So, for me, it was really important, really key, to be around that. It’s hard to understand that change if you’ve only been in the NHL. What young players expect. There’s a certain level of expectations. How practices should be run, how players should be coached. If you’re basing it on just the what the NHL used to be like historically, it’s not going to hold water to the new group of influential players coming in.
Obviously, I coached to the situation this season and tried to maximize what we could maximize, work with what we had to work with. You saw some of my coaching, but you obviously haven’t seen it all.”
I wasn't aware of this:
Granato then led the Worcester IceCats to the AHL regular-season title in 2000-01, compiling franchise records in wins (48) and points (108). He received the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as AHL coach of the year that season, his first in the league. He beat out Mike Babcock and Bruce Boudreau.
How Don Granato's career path might fit what the Sabres need in a coach
Nick Fohr (10th year as an assistant coach at NTDP:
“I’ve told many people this over the years: he’s the smartest hockey guy I’ve ever been around A very, very good teacher. I remember having the conversation about we’ve learned how to develop these young kids, what they can handle, where we need to focus on. I remember him saying, ‘How can we develop them faster? We know how to develop them. We know the things we need to do, but can we accelerate that process?' From year one to year five, we got much better at accelerating that process and moving those kids along much quicker. I think that was the biggest evolution.”
Scott Monaghan, assistant executive director of NTDP:
“I think he brought us forward a little bit on how we play, being a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more offensive-minded. I don’t even want to say that necessarily, but he had us play based on our personnel and talent. Letting kids play, giving them basic concepts of what they need to do within a team, but also letting them, you know, make mistakes. … You have to let kids make mistakes at our level. He allowed them to make those mistakes and did not let those mistakes become habits. For most of us, as we get older, it’s harder to understand what it takes to connect to these 16- and 17-year-old kids. But Donnie was really good at it. … He also did a great, great job of interacting with parents. That was unique. I hadn’t seen one of our coaches run through video with a parent. It was never confrontational. It was more like, ‘Hey, if you’re concerned about what’s going on, here’s why we’re doing this.’ ”
Joel Quenneville:
Donnie was very smart as far as his involvement with players, his relationship with the players and getting guys to play the right way. Donnie had a good idea of a neutral-zone possession game, how to attack, how to keep pucks, how to be a threat to score. He had some really special players there when he was with the development program, as well and he was at every different level, so he got a different flavor of what’s necessary to be a coach and to be a coach at our level.”
Tage Thompson:
“I think he challenges everyone. I think that’s what we need. I think that says a lot about him. Obviously, he sees a lot in us and knows what we’re capable of and holds us to a higher standard.”
Jason Christie, a former teammate, player, and assistant of Granato:
“He’s ahead of his time as far as reading the game and reading players. He lives it. He absolutely takes pride in everything he does. We all say we do, but he’s beyond that. He takes it to the next level.”
Kevyn Adams:
“You know his track record. He has an experience of working with young players. What I think he did very well was crystal-clear communication on expectations of how each individual was going to play and what the expectations are from how the team was going to play. Certainly, we have a lot of young players, so the development was critical.”
Don Granato:
“Older players used to dominate the league. You didn’t have clout in the NHL until you were 28 or 30 years old. But there has been a complete transformation in the NHL. There’s been a complete power shift to the young player. … So, for me, it was really important, really key, to be around that. It’s hard to understand that change if you’ve only been in the NHL. What young players expect. There’s a certain level of expectations. How practices should be run, how players should be coached. If you’re basing it on just the what the NHL used to be like historically, it’s not going to hold water to the new group of influential players coming in.
Obviously, I coached to the situation this season and tried to maximize what we could maximize, work with what we had to work with. You saw some of my coaching, but you obviously haven’t seen it all.”