Wisconsin Badgers
MADISON, WI (WSAU) — The Wisconsin Badgers are moving on from Men’s Hockey coach and USA Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Granato.
“Coach Granato is a great Badger and no one is more passionate about Wisconsin hockey or the University of Wisconsin than he is,” said Athletic Director Chris McIntosh. “I have great appreciation for the heart and soul that he has poured into the program during his time as head coach.”
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.
Granato had just restructured his contract last off-season, including an extension to the 2026-’27 season. But as the Badgers failed to gain momentum in Big Ten play this year it became clear that his time in Madison may be running out.
Wisconsin finished the 2022-’23 season with a record of 13-23 overall and 6-18 in B1G play. They began the season on a four-game losing streak and managed just two winning streaks all season- a two-game series sweep of Minnesota-Duluth in late October and a five-game win streak in November. The latter included four non-conference wins over two new Division I programs in Long Island University and Lindenwood (MO) and an upset of Michigan, which secured the Badgers a split of the weekend series.
A national search for his replacement is underway.
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