Confirmed with Link: Sabres hire Assistant Coach Don Granato

[Chainshot]

Click to read more...

 

[brian_griffin]

Brother of Tony and Cammi

 

[Deleted member 27798]

I give it less than an hour before the outrage begins over not hiring Velucci, even though 95% or more of the posters(myself included) had never heard of him prior to the Checkers AHL Cup run.

Some will even find a way to blame it on Botts. LOL

 

[CaptPantalones]

pretty good get by Krueger

 

[BuffaloGooner]

I give it less than an hour before the outrage begins over not hiring Velucci, even though 95% or more of the posters(myself included) had never heard of him prior to the Checkers AHL Cup run.

Some will even find a way to blame it on Botts. LOL

It’s already started

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Interesting because I believe Don Granato was the source of the 'Jack Eichel couldn't carry Auston Matthews' skate bag' quote

 

[Chainshot]

Former staff with the USNTDP who has some experience with a few guys currently in the Sabres system, including Eichel, Thompson, and Fitzgerald.

Spent time on the Hawks staff as an assistant the last two years and was an assistant with his older brother Tony's staff in Wisconsin before that.

 

[BloFan4Life]

pretty good get by Krueger

Doesn't look like there was much competition. Was he really getting another assistant job in NHL if the Sabres didn't hire him? Q didn't want him in Florida.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Granato and the blackhawks “mutually parted ways” this offseason. He was originally hired by coach Q.

Blackhawks hire Don Granato, Ulf Samuelsson as assistant coaches

 

[Chainshot]

He was HC in the AHL for the Wolves for two years and five years with Worcester prior to that. He was also an assistant on Mike Kitchen's staff with the Blues in '05-06.

Lots of experience, has spent time working in different markets for different people. Interesting resume.

He worked for both the Leafs and Canucks as a scout as well.

 

[Fjordy]

At least I hope he is competent.

 

[CaptPantalones]

Doesn't look like there was much competition. Was he really getting another assistant job in NHL if the Sabres didn't hire him? Q didn't want him in Florida.

Cant speak for Q but he did take Andrew Brunette from Minnesota when he was let go. Maybe if Brunette doesnt get let go, he hires Granato? Cant speculate he didnt have interest. It's possible but I would think unlikely

 

[jc17]

I give it less than an hour before the outrage begins over not hiring Velucci, even though 95% or more of the posters(myself included) had never heard of him prior to the Checkers AHL Cup run.

Some will even find a way to blame it on Botts. LOL

Whether its free agents, trades, contract, or coaches, some people seem to think Botts can just do whatever he chooses, as if the other party has no say.

"Why didn't Botterill just ________?"

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Okay. That's about all I have to say about the Granato hiring. I would personally like to see what he ran in Chicago, etc. I'm glad Smith is staying, and I like the Bales hire. I'm content for now.

 

[Chainshot]

Interesting because I believe Don Granato was the source of the 'Jack Eichel couldn't carry Auston Matthews' skate bag' quote

Not really: Breaking down Matthews vs. Eichel piece by piece

 

[Montag DP]

I give it less than an hour before the outrage begins over not hiring Velucci, even though 95% or more of the posters(myself included) had never heard of him prior to the Checkers AHL Cup run.

Some will even find a way to blame it on Botts. LOL

Like I said, he has too much of a Checkered past.

 

[Dingo44]

Interesting because I believe Don Granato was the source of the 'Jack Eichel couldn't carry Auston Matthews' skate bag' quote

Not sure where that came from, but here is Don Granato helping the Toronto Sun compare Eichel and Matthews after the Leafs drafted Auston.

https://torontosun.com/2016/06/25/breaking-down-matthews-vs-eichel-piece-by-piece/wcm/fad99731-3722-4f84-a1de-29ba435dfdf9

“Jack played for me one year, Auston the next,” Granato said Saturday. “And for me, it was an incredible experience. To be able to coach high level, they develop so rapidly.

“And the neat thing was to see the respect they have for each other. I was an assistant with the (2015) world junior team where they were teammates and you could see it. There’s a respect where I think Jack thought, ‘It’s my job to kind of bring Auston along. He’s going to go through what I’m going through.’ It was a brother relationship what I saw.

“It was almost like they were mentoring each other.”

While fans in Buffalo and Toronto already are boasting that their player is the more talented one, Granato won’t pick between the two. But he does know this: they’ll make each other superior players when going head to head.

“They are going to help elevate each other’s games because neither will give an inch,” Granato said. “And that’s really going to make the Sabres-Leafs rivalry a special one.”

 

[Chainshot]

Some ink on his retention when Q was sacked: Former Blackhawks assistant Don Granato opens up about...

 

[WeDislikeEich]

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-blackhawks/don-granato-thrilled-be-working-calm-q-again

Stan Bowman and Q talk about the Granato hire a bit in the video at the top of the article.

 

[OkimLom]

Not sure where that came from, but here is Don Granato helping the Toronto Sun compare Eichel and Matthews after the Leafs drafted Auston.

https://torontosun.com/2016/06/25/breaking-down-matthews-vs-eichel-piece-by-piece/wcm/fad99731-3722-4f84-a1de-29ba435dfdf9

While fans in Buffalo and Toronto already are boasting that their player is the more talented one, Granato won’t pick between the two. But he does know this: they’ll make each other superior players when going head to head.

This part is 100% on point.

As for the hire. I don't know much about the guy, to be honest, in a coaching context, but even if I did, I would still be at "the wait and see he does before expressing on my opinion on whether it was a good hire or not" point.

 

[Buffaloed]

I give it less than an hour before the outrage begins over not hiring Velucci, even though 95% or more of the posters(myself included) had never heard of him prior to the Checkers AHL Cup run.

Some will even find a way to blame it on Botts. LOL

Florida gets Quenneville and we get the assistant he didn't want back. This smells like a Housley hire. Yesssssssss I made it with 4 mins to spare!

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Some ink on his retention when Q was sacked: Former Blackhawks assistant Don Granato opens up about...

Can someone give finer points on the article?

 

[Chainshot]

Can someone give finer points on the article?

It wasn't a grilling, but he talks about being surprised by the firing and his own retention at the time as well as his respect for both Q and Colliton. He worked with the defensemen after Q left to try implementing Colliton's system. Most of it is pretty standard hockey interview stuff, "happy to be here, great experience, grateful".

 

[CaptPantalones]

Okay. That's about all I have to say about the Granato hiring. I would personally like to see what he ran in Chicago, etc. I'm glad Smith is staying, and I like the Bales hire. I'm content for now.

He ran the D under colliton

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Not sure where that came from, but here is Don Granato helping the Toronto Sun compare Eichel and Matthews after the Leafs drafted Auston.

https://torontosun.com/2016/06/25/breaking-down-matthews-vs-eichel-piece-by-piece/wcm/fad99731-3722-4f84-a1de-29ba435dfdf9

Ok I found the quote and was wrong, I remembered the quote as coming from somebody within the USNTDP.

“People don’t know how good he is because he wasn’t around to scrutinize all year,” said a scout for a Canadian team. “I think that’s a huge advantage for him. The team that gets him is going to be incredibly surprised just how good he is. I hear things like he would have gone third in last year’s draft. Are you kidding?

“No disrespect to Eichel, but he couldn’t carry Matthews’ skates to the rink. His impact in the NHL is going to be special.”