No. 28 — Tony Granato, Men’s Hockey
When you are mentioned in the same breath as Mark Johnson or any other member of that family at the University of Wisconsin, you did something right. Such was the case for one of greatest and most popular player in the history of UW hockey, Tony Granato.
After four years at the University of Wisconsin, Granato stands next to Mark Johnson as the only two players to top the 100-goal, 100-assist mark for their careers. He ended his time as a Badger with 100 goals and 120 assists. That 220 point total has him fourth all-time on the point list, while he also is third all-time in goals scored and eighth in career assists.
Not only was Granato great over the course of a season and his career, he was also one of the most clutch players in Badgers history. His 15 game-winning goals place him in a tie for fourth in that category and he is sixth in career power play goals (33) as well.
He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award in 1987, scoring 28 goals and putting up 45 assists (73 points). Additional awards came as he was a two time second team All-American (1985 and 1987) and was named MVP of the Badgers in the 1986-87 season.
While most of the attention will come from Granato’s work on the ice, he also wasn’t too shabby in the classroom either. So much so that he was named the 1987 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year.
After his Wisconsin playing career, Granato went on to have over a decade long career in the NHL and play in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. He retired in 2001 and went in to the coaching ranks, where he’s been a head coach of the Colorado Avalanche for parts of two seasons. Currently he is teaming up with fellow ex-Badger Chris Chelios as assistant coaches for the Detroit Red Wings.
Full 50 Greatest Badgers List:
No. 50 – Randy Jablonic
No. 49 – Alex Rigsby
No. 48 — Michael Lihrman
No. 47 — Howard “Cub” Buck
No. 46 — Don Davey
No. 45 — Pat O’Dea
No. 44 — Curtis Joseph
No. 43 — Dean Anderson
No. 42 — Ivy Martin
No. 41 — Ron Vander Kelen
No. 40 — Carly Piper
No. 39 — J.J. Watt
No. 38 — Joe Pavelski
No. 37 — Barb Franke
No. 36 — Dick Cable
No. 35 — Sam Dekker
No. 34 — Jolene Anderson
No. 33 — Paul Gruber
No. 32 — Mark Johnson
No. 31 — Chris Borland
No. 30 — Lisa Boyd
No. 29 — Lee Evans
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