Don Granato formally introduced as Sabres head coach

Um, I guess if you're in Cday for a franchise.

VeryDonny Granado as the nexthe's going to represent thand you know, he didn't saYou know, Kevin, I want yois the job I want.

Um, andthat truly want to be hereit was a great process toperson to lead this franchgroup from there.

Thank yoto everyone on the call.

Ubeing here, as kevin mentiposition I wanted to be inthe interim.

Um, I wantedI should say our players,sabre fans, which, which ran opportunity.

It's an oblike I have an obligationabout the Sabres, to the pin our room and have to bathe staff that commits soinvolved.

I really do feelwas a great opportunity foand it was, it was great.it's nice to know, um, toyou go to work each day, hsuccess?

Um, as an individwhole, I felt that I feelorganizations, many differkey component to what happfeeling for me, uh, and itme moving forward.

ObviousAgain, I feel like I havethose who have been so greI am and I feel that I ampositive ways and learn frno greater of that than mythe first team I was on uhbefore I start, uh, you knwalk in.

I, I fully believopportunity right in frontplayers have started to grlove that you play the gamat night for years and yeakid and a coach, even as ajust want to be in a hockepeople appreciate hockey aor actually experienced moI first came to the Sabresan assistant coach, I wasUh, and I was invited befofind this bank with all ththe meeting is taking placoverwhelmed at how many alan event and they're all isitting all over the room.the room and more of an unwalked in the room.

And itAnd then all the way up toray.

And I saw rob way inhis hand on my shoulder anas I walk in and he leansI help you?

And, and I, Imyself and right away, hewelcome, welcome.

And, andbelonged in that room.

Uh,and when Kevin offered mewith some great passion, wthink and feel and the resposition and moving ahead,go ahead with the first quLook forward to working wiyour end of the season, prto see from Don Granado asand what we wanted as a stone of those practices wasThey canceled the Boston gknow that until midway thrplay.

You have players thato get them ready for theyou know, that's that's ais forces you sometimes tothat.

We turned our focusaccepted that as a challenthat said and long windedand simple, just a questiohard work as it comes downpractice is an integral paand enhance our offensivegame.

So practice time isthe full time right to deaa lot of opportunity heredecision was made with Jacpotentially with them andthem?

Yeah, I didn't thinkbeen on the job for 48 houof that time is returningyou prepare for the seasonthat might happen and it hwe don't know what will hacertain and then we're commoving.

So, you know, theto feel.

We, we we have paof injury.

And you say youhave to lose two players fyou know, that's not the whockey works.

So whateverwithout compromising the dto go.

So I'm confident cogreat as it has been greathere with the ap um, congrand I guess it kind of talIs that, is that a fair chthat the point of saying tstaff across the organizatto get up every day and hayou know, Donnie and I andof where this team is at athe end of the year aboutabout being a Buffalo Sabrwhat I'm specifically talkDon Don specifically congrspecifically for Kevin, yothe draft lottery and youyou guys still weren't necweeks removed from that whto you, Is there any updatpotential surgery or whereyou know, as I've said manI'm certainly not a doctorthe question that you needDon, as everybody else hasare only so many practicesjust how different the pacwere going a lot harder.

Jgoing to have an actual cawhat can we expect to seeis it, you know, kind of ton in the season.

You knowfor?

You're not just takinthat.

I don't see practicestandpoint of tone.

Uh Weresponse was outstanding.loved it, they they're comthe duration of a practicecompromise the competitivewhat you ran in practice thelped me tremendously wasover with only 12 practiceU.

S.

H.

Other league, thethan him and this is the bThey didn't need to use thwe had as a coaching staffinto that job with the hincoaching american coach insystem more efficiently anthe way on.

And that was oopportunity to coach.

Thismore of an opportunity tothe lines of communicationguys been talking a lot duum how will you handle thethrough the interview procour staff may fill out theI have a tremendous amountobviously in the mix movinthis out, but those are couh my part of the questionyou, when you build a teamalso amongst, you know, Dodo we go and decisions wepart is critical, but it'sit's your last player on tknow, someone at the top oit's critical to have thattype of conversations.

Soyou have an obligation tois behind that obligation?first part of this one andcritical um to me was haviwith the head coach whereto agree, but you're goingmean, you're talking everyum, so that's, that was anprocess and you're learninthat I thought a lot aboutand you know, he's been abeen an assistant coach, uum you know, so has a littand you know, whether it'she's constantly learning.that, you know, you challeyou don't always have allif you surround yourself wyou know, I always say thiright.

So how do you surroSo that's that's somethingbased on, you know, I'm cofor the fans.

I mean, we'rgrew up in Chicago area.

Hbig when I grew up and ithigh school in Minnesota.experience for me to go towhat you go to bed at nighbeing and becoming and thaor national telecasts andlove to just throw, you knthere that uh, you know, rThere's nothing hard aboutyou, I know the players, lour group last year has suAnd it's easy to feel andhere.

Now.

The challenge owhere it's not a hockey coI think we can get our I knecessarily thrive on thatuh watching a player and Iin various players and takone that comes to mind.

Soto mind right now where thplayers, you know, they cathey cared about the team,players that want to be heSo um I look forward to thbut in essence that's thatinterested in your thoughtWe're in the playoffs thiscould kevin briefly, uh jothe communication and to byou communicating with Jacand the challenge ahead, yon challenge.

I mean, if yand be successful at the hyou have to love challengereiterate this.

It's reallin an emotional stuff thatand anchor down there arequestion with us challengiwe are going to improve oupoint.

If we just stay focIt's inevitable if we getlot harder to find that tidone it, I've seen it withand that objective and thayou look at what we have ait's in Rochester or elsewof draft picks and certaintook advantage of it lastwith all our players is crof whether it's players, splayers, sometimes it's thjust part of our day to daI think uh you know, I dontime of day.

I think yestedon't have a great converswhen you can.

Mhm.

Mhm Goomookie Hawkins workforce sfirst and foremost.

Um Justhe phases that you standyou said before making itwas the word you used?

Whecome to mind, we've alreadthe pride and passion formake adjustments in betweewhich was great advantagebecause I could put thingsplayers and see the speedto make an adjustment.

Andmove them in the directionknow, I always talk aboutcup finals.

Uh There's onethere I would imagine to anight.

You lace up your skfind that.

And I think ourcontrol.

And I know when tat the level of the playerwith things they had in theither control them or thehad they had the ability tyou saw our players play wthat's those are componentplayers grasp and have a ra coach.

You want to bringgood clarity right now.

Abthe big, the big defensemamany of our staff was in tscouts were on Zune.

But utime going through all theexciting is there's, especof players that um, we feehave more meetings cominga couple weeks ago, I thinI love the draft process.18 year olds and most of tuh it's exciting and it'squick.

Today's are movingwe still don't have you sojust one.

I mean I know adraft currency, you're looturn this team around.

Whayou're lacking right now iinto a winning team and poorganization.

You mentioneknow, Anders Bjork is an eif you look at areas thatpieces that will fill andanything and everything isof where we're at, we haveto make big steps in a verI've had a lot of experienSkis and I saw those kidsequal success, there's, thand I work with these kidsof things that you just cago and everything I said aof really good pieces comireally well deserved.

Um Idevelopment is kind of somyoung guys really bought ilike at the end of last yeover almost as much as thefully intended.

What's youplayer development that woyear as a full time head cjake.

Um sometimes when yosay or don't do as much asdo and I think of, you knofor example, you know, theoutright and coaching withperson is in a different pknow, you have to help theidentity because their idelevel, they played, they hwas maybe 10 different skilevel to the junior level,NHL, those, that skill setlevel and they scored 30 ghad great speed, but they'and it's helping them recogiving them reason to be cfor, that's kind of the fua little bit of an art toyou may match them up agaimaking sure they know whenthey're excited that whatexcited to come back to tha lot of things you do towhen you can run a dictatoinfluence of guys where thare passionate, who doesn'in that process individualstation here in Buffalo.

UIn some of the earlier queadministration really wasnYou're taking over a teamAnd you know, offseason prnext year afterward.

Likewin and chase one win or cif you just, and I've saidpeople, uh you'll, you'lland win consistently and tcoach.

I've done it longerin that, whether it be stathe vision you have as lonand I've said it many timewe why are practicing so hin that process you got toThat means that means you'not as much, it's not justcompete as hard as you canmore from that.

If we do lthe next day you're meetinknow X is and always are aof the game.

Um You know,and the other dynamics thawith our team.

I'm convincin the day to day.

I you gand and attack the momenthave, but you have to moveUh And we will do that inSabres were onto somethingof would just lay it out fObviously when I got thistable, but we didn't hadn'just as I would do every dUm, you know, there was ceperson to take this task oAnd I loved immediately holet's have fun, let's compmindset.

And there was juswatching close over thoseabsolutely respect and bouthat Don and the staff wasAnd I think, I mean you cocoach in the world, but ifbuy in from the players, ium and that was clear as wtalking to a number of difcoaches, and I'm glad we dfrom every one of those coguess that's a long answerthe fact that we went throboth know trade talks willLeague.

Um there are certayou know, you know, you'vegame a long time, but I thnatural pressure points thdifferent times where thinthis franchise in a positido that and across acrossSo, um, of course it willget, you know, closer to tNo, it has to be the rightif we feel it's it's the rfranchise, um, absolutely,we three weeks and it's gofor a franchise and certaiDonny on board as well nowthank you very much everyb