BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Tony Granato's affection for all things Olympics goes back to when he was a high school kid growing up in suburban Chicago.
He was 15 when sat on the floor of his parents' bedroom and watched the Miracle on Ice unfold in Lake Placid, New York.
It was there, in February of 1980, that the U.S. men's hockey team famously upset the heavily favored Soviet Union on the way to an improbable gold medal.
In that moment, watching a band of plucky collegians knock off highly trained professionals, Granato heard his life's calling loud and clear.
He wanted to play college hockey and represent his country as an Olympian.
That project took him from a decorated four-year career at Wisconsin, to playing for Team USA in the 1988 Winter Olympics, to serving as an assistant coach for the Americans in the 2014 Games.
Granato's ascent on the ladder of Olympic assignments became more meaningful Friday when he was officially named head coach of the U.S. entry in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"What you feel is honored," Granato said. "You feel how lucky you are that the sport of hockey has given you these opportunities. You feel pride in your country and your sport.
"This opportunity is pretty special. I think we've got a really good chance to do well and I'm excited at the opportunity."
The Games will take place Feb. 9 to 25, 2018 with the men's hockey portion scheduled to begin Feb. 14 and run through the gold-medal match Feb. 25.
Granato, the second-year head coach at UW, expects to miss four Big Ten Conference games while guiding the American squad.
Associate head coaches Mark Osiecki and Mark Strobel will fill in for Granato, who received permission from Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez to take on the coveted role.
Granato's support staff for the Games will have a decidedly familiar flavor to Badgers fans.
Former UW defenseman, NHL award-winner and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios heads a group of assistants that also includes Scott Young, an Olympic teammate and road roommate of Granato's in 1988, Ron Rolston and Keith Allain.
The long-time general manager for Team USA is Jim Johannson, who played with Granato at Wisconsin as well as on the American squad that competed in the '88 Games in Calgary, Alberta.
The group is currently gathered in Plymouth, Michigan, to plot a course for South Korea.
Tony Granato in his Team USA uniform for the 1988 Olympics
When Granato played for Team USA three decades ago, the roster was made up of college players.
When Granato served as an assistant to U.S. coach Dan Bylsma in '14, the talent pool was the best and brightest from the NHL.
This time around, NHL players with one-way contracts are unavailable in part because the players' union and various governing bodies were unable to agree on who would pay to insure the players.
That leaves Granato and Co. to tap into the U.S. college ranks, the professional minors leagues and Americans currently skating in Europe to form the 25-person Olympic roster.
"We have to look at the pool available to us and then, as the year goes on, evaluate and try and find the players," Granato said.
"What our country does have is a ton of depth. I think this is a chance for the United States to show the rest of hockey how deep our talent pool is.
"This is going to be an opportunity for the U.S. to have an outstanding team and an outstanding tournament."
Granato said a prime moment of evaluation will take place Nov. 10 to 12 when Team USA takes between 25 and 30 players to skate in the Deutschland Cup in Augsburg, Germany. The other countries participating are Russia, Slovakia and the host Germans.
"From that we'll do some evaluations and we'll do some implementation of how we're going to play when we get to South Korea," Granato said. "We won't meet again until we get off the plane in February."
It's possible the Badgers could have a player or two on Team USA. Most prominent among the options is center Trent Frederic, a sophomore-to-be and a first-round NHL draft pick of Boston.
"How our roster's going to be made up right now is anybody's guess," Granato said, mentioning Frederic as a candidate. "I have some ideas and thoughts on where we're going to get a majority of our players."
A prime task, according to Granato, is "finding guys who think they can win."
Tony Granato was an assistant coach for the 2014 Olympic men's hockey team
Granato joins Peter Laviolette, John Garrison, Jack Riley and Herb Brooks on a short list of coaches who have played in the Olympics for Team USA and later coached the American squad in the Games.
Laviolette skated in the Olympics in 1988 and 1994 before coaching the Americans in 2006.Â
Garrison, who played at Harvard, skated in the Olympics in 1932 and 1936 before coaching the U.S. in 1948.
Riley, who played at Dartmouth, skated in the Olympics in 1948 before coaching the U.S. in 1960.
Brooks, who played at Minnesota, skated in the Games in 1964 and '68 before coaching Team USA in 1980.
Coincidentally, Riley and Brooks coached the only U.S. clubs to bring home Olympic gold medals.
The Badgers have a storied history in the Winter Games. In all, 23 former UW players, representing three countries, have skated in the Olympics since 1976.
Chelios played in four Winter Games — 1984, '98, 2002 and '06 — and figures to bring a lot of grit and passion to the Team USA bench.
Chris Chelios, USA Olympic team, 2006
"I'm waiting for the announcement that Chris is returning to play," Granato joked of his friend, who officially retired as a player when he was 48. "This is a guy who brings his bags home from an NHL practice so he can go play with his buddies in a men's league during an NHL season. That's his love for the game.
"Chris is as unique as they come. He has a better internal drive than anyone I've ever seen as far as finding ways to continue to be able to be successful."
Granato joins Bob Johnson, who guided the Americans in 1976, as Wisconsin men's coaches who have been tabbed to coach Team USA.
Johnson's son, Mark, not only starred for the Miracle on Ice squad in 1980, he took temporary leave from his four-time NCAA champion women's team at UW to lead the Americans to the silver medal in 2010.
Osiecki said having the latest U.S. Olympic coach reside at the Kohl Center can only help the program's profile.
"I don't know if you can put it into words," he said. "It elevates it. How many coaches have there been of Olympic men's hockey teams for the U.S.? Not many.
"It's pretty incredible. I think it's awesome."
Growing up in Downers Grove, Illinois, Granato said watching Mark Johnson play in 1980 affected his life and the world of hockey in the U.S.
"His impact and what he did for every American that's followed is immeasurable," Granato said. "That performance in Lake Placid changed how Americans were viewed and brought the game of hockey to America.
"I don't know where the game would be if that didn't happen."
In addition to playing and coaching in the Olympics, Granato has attended multiple Games to watch his younger sister, Cammi, play.
When women's hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998, Cammi Granato was captain for the gold-medal-winning Americans, an accomplishment that paved the way to her being inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"There's no better sporting venue in the world — Super Bowls, Stanley Cups, you can say whatever you want — than the Olympics," Tony Granato said. "It's a very special thing when you're able to wear a USA jacket or sweater and represent."
Granato believes his chaotic first season as UW coach will benefit him and his staff in this latest project.
Many administrative adjustments were made in 2016-17 while Granato devoted part of his routine to finishing 16 credits toward a degree in human development and family studies.
"It's going to be somewhat similar," said Granato, who graduated in May, 30 years after leaving for the Olympics and a 13-year playing career in the NHL. "There might be a few hours a week where I leave Mark (Osiecki) alone and work on a project for a few hours."
Despite Granato's frenzied pace last season, the Badgers righted a listing ship. They were 20-15-1 overall after winning 12 of 70 games the previous two seasons.
Granato, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, likes sitting down to another overflowing plate of duties.
"I think it's a positive," he said. "I think the players here knowing that I've got a chance to go over and coach the Olympic team is a positive.
"Our program is not going to suffer," he said. "I won't take any shortcuts to deprive our players of what they need here.
"We're in a good spot right now for our program. For sure we have to put in a ton of planning — stuff we're going to have to do during the year to keep this thing going — but we're in a good spot."
