The Wisconsin Badgers will have a new coach leading the program after University Athletic Director Chris McIntosh fired now-former coach Tony Granato Monday afternoon.
In a release from the University Monday afternoon:
MADISON, Wis. – A change is being made in the leadership of the Wisconsin men's hockey program, UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced Monday.
Tony Granato, who just completed his seventh-season behind the bench, will not return for next season.
"Coach Granato is a great Badger and no one is more passionate about Wisconsin hockey or the University of Wisconsin than he is," McIntosh said. "I have great appreciation for the heart and soul that he has poured into the program during his time as head coach.
"I believe our men's hockey program can consistently compete at a championship level. My intention is to find a coach that will lead the effort to get us there."
UW went 105-129-16 overall and 65-87-12 in Big Ten play during Granato's seven seasons.
Granato led the Badgers to the 2021 Big Ten Championship and the top seed for that season's NCAA tournament to highlight a seven-year tenure that also included a pair of Big Ten tournament title game appearances in 2017 and 2021. He was named Big Ten coach of the year during those two winning seasons.
During his time as head coach, eight players who played for Granato went on to play in the NHL, while four Badgers earned All-America honors and one captured the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He also directed the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team in PyeongChang, South Korea, during his time leading the UW program.
Granato ranks third in UW history with 100 goals and fourth with 220 points during his four-year career as a player at Wisconsin from 1983 through 1987, earning a pair of All-America honors and being named a 1987 Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.
A 2020 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and a member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame, Granato represented his country at seven major international competitions as a player, including the 1988 Olympics, and spent 13 seasons as an NHL player and 13 years as either an NHL head or assistant coach.
The six-time NCAA-champion Wisconsin men's hockey program owns a combined 17 regular-season and tournament conference championships, as well as 43 All-Americans, 26 Olympians and over 100 all-conference players. A total of 91 Badgers have gone on to play in the NHL, while an NCAA-best 14 Badgers have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In addition, UW's support has been among the nation's best, ranking among the top-three schools for 53 consecutive years, including leading the country in 38 seasons.
Wisconsin will begin a national search for a replacement immediately.