Former San Jose Sharks forward Tony Granato announced Sunday night that he has been diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will begin treatment this week.
Granato, 59, wrote on his account on X/Twitter, that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence from being a part of Chicago Blackhawks broadcasts on NBC Sports Chicago, as well as the NHL Network, to begin his treatment.
“I wish I could reach out to everyone individually, but felt like this was the best way to share the news,” Granato wrote. “My family, faith, and friends will be my strength to help me through my treatments. I appreciate all the love and support I have received already.
“With the holiday season here, cherish the times with your loved ones, as I know I will.”
Granato played 773 games over a 13-year NHL career that began in 1988 with the New York Rangers and ended in 2001 with the Sharks. Starting in 1996, Granato spent the final five years of his career in San Jose and had 99 points in 278 games.
In 1997 with the Sharks, Granato, a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, won the Masterton Trophy, an award that goes to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
— Tony Granato (@TonyGranato) December 11, 2023
When he was with the Los Angeles Kings, Granato required brain surgery in Feb. 1996, as blood vessels needed to be removed from his head following an on-ice collision with Hartford’s Jeff Brown.
Granato recovered and signed a contract with the Sharks as a free agent in August of that year and had 40 points in 76 games and also played in the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose that year.
Granato spent his first year-plus in the NHL with the Rangers before he was traded to the Kings in Jan. 1990. His greatest individual success as a player came In Los Angeles, as he 305 points in 380 games.
Granato. dismissed as the University of Wisconsin’s men’s hockey coach in March, began work as a studio analyst for NBC Sports Chicago during Blackhawks games earlier this season.
After his playing career, Granato worked as a coach for various NHL teams and for USA Hockey.
Granato was on the Colorado Avalanche’s coaching staff for six seasons, including nearly three years as the team’s head coach from 2002 to 2004 and again in 2008-09. In 215 games as Colorado’s head coach, Granato also was an assistant coach with Colorado during part of the 2002-03 season and from 2005-08.
Granato then joined the Pittsburgh Penguins’ coaching staff as an assistant from 2009-2014, and was an assistant for Team USA at the 2014 Olympics, before he became the head coach for the 2018 American Olympic team.
Per the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that “starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system.” The disease usually starts in lymph nodes or other lymph tissue, but it can sometimes affect the skin.
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