Don Granato to coach U.S. at IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championship

Don Granato will be the head coach of the U.S. men’s hockey team at the IIHF World Championship in May, following his siblings in leading a national team.

Granato, the 58-year-old former Buffalo Sabres head coach, was previously an assistant for U.S. teams at worlds in 2014, 2018 (bronze medal) and 2022.

Granato’s older brother, Tony, was the U.S. men’s head coach at the 2018 Olympics, where the Americans lost in the quarterfinals with no NHL participation.

Granato’s younger sister, Cammi, was captain of the first U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, which took gold at the 1998 Nagano Games.

The U.S. men are coming off not only their first Olympic gold medal since 1980 (with head coach Mike Sullivan of the New York Rangers), but also last year won their first standalone world championship since 1933 (with head coach Ryan Warsofsky of the San Jose Sharks).

The U.S. roster for these worlds in Switzerland has not been announced yet.

World championships take place during the Stanley Cup playoffs, so players whose NHL teams are still alive do not participate at worlds.