Associated Press

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Dec 11, 2023, 7:10 AM

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Updated

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Former NHL player and coach Tony Granato said on social media Sunday night that he has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is taking a leave of absence from TV work for NBC Sports Chicago and the NHL Network.

The 59-year-old Granato posted on X that he will begin treatment this week.

“I wish I could reach out to everyone individually, but felt like this was the best way to share the news,” Grantato tweeted. “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.”

Granato was fired in March as coach at alma mater Wisconsin after seven seasons.

A member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Granato had 248 goals and 244 assists in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. He won the 1998 Bill Masterton Trophy as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Granato was the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 2002-04 and again in 2008-09. He was an assistant with Pittsburgh and Detroit before returning to Wisconsin to take over the Badgers. Granato also coached the United States in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Granato grew up in a hockey family in Downers Grove in suburban Chicago, with sister Cammi the first woman inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and brother Don the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.