Buffalo, NY (AP/WBEN) The Buffalo Sabres have removed the interim tag from Don Granato and named him the team's full-time coach. Granato replaced Ralph Krueger behind the bench midseason.
After losing 22 of the first 28 games under Krueger, the Sabres won nine of their final 28 with Granato at the helm and rallied to win three times when trailing after two periods.
This is Granato's first NHL head-coaching job after assistant stints with Buffalo, Chicago and St. Louis.
Granato, 53, joined the Sabres as an assistant coach prior to the 2019-20 season. He was elevated to interim head coach on March 17 of last season.
Granato has served as a head coach at various levels for nearly three decades, beginning in 1993 with the USHL's Wisconsin Capitols. He has won championships at the USHL (1996) and ECHL (2000) levels and was named AHL Coach of the Year in 2001.
Granato spent five seasons as head coach of AHL Worcester (a St. Louis Blues affiliate) before earning his first NHL job as an assistant for St. Louis in 2005-06. He later spent five seasons as a head coach with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he helped guide the development of several of the premier American-born players in today's NHL.
On the international stage, Granato has won gold and silver medals with Team USA at the U-18 World Championship and earned bronze at the men's World Championship in 2018.
