Granato (far right) with coach Bylsma and Crosby (photo courtesy cbc.ca)

Tony Granato spent 7 years wearing the L.A. Kings sweater and that’s when I got to know the man who’s since gone on to become an elite NHL coach now as an assistant to another former So-Cal resident Dan Bylsma with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens have reached the Eastern Conference finals which starts tomorrow night on home ice against the Boston Bruins.

This is the first time since 1945 that the previous 4 Stanley Cup winners are the final four teams in the playoffs and that’s among the many topics that Tony and I go over. We also discuss his good fortune of playing with Wayne Gretzky and then coaching Sidney Crosby, and of course how his Penguins shape up as they get ready for the big bad Bruins.

Tony Granato with Ted Sobel: