Canucks Name Granato Assistant GM

Kraken pro scout Cammi Granato took another giant step Thursday in an illustrious hockey career of gigantic leaps forward for women in hockey. She was announced as an assistant general manager with the Vancouver Canucks.
While moving to a Pacific Division rival, Granato is in fact returning home. She lives in the Vancouver area with her husband, former NHLer and ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro, and their two sons.

"We wish Cammi the best and thank her for her work in helping launch the Kraken," said Ron Francis, the Seattle general manager who went out the usual box to hire Granato as the first-ever female NHL pro scout in September 2021. "We understand this is the right opportunity for her and her family."
No doubt Granato had a bright future career track with the Kraken. She impressed all leadership across hockey operations and the entire organization.
Her scouting reports and advanced level of discussion about players and the current state of the sport were invaluable to the team's preparation for the expansion draft and anticipated upcoming moves in an important spring and summer for the Kraken.
"Cammi is a tremendous leader and has earned the respect of the hockey world," said Jim Rutherford, president of hockey operations for Vancouver, in a statement making the hiring official. "She has a great mind for the game and experience and influence at all levels.
"In her role, Cammi will oversee our player development department and our amateur and pro scouting department. Cammi's input will be included in all areas of hockey operations as we leverage the diverse opinions and experience of our new leadership group to build a winning team."
Rutherford is a mentor to Francis, first as Carolina GM when Francis as team captain led the Hurricanes to an unexpected and thrilling run to the 2002 Stanley Cup, then later when Francis worked his way up the Carolina organization with years as a player development director, associate head coach and assistant GM.
"I appreciate the cooperation and the help Ron and the Kraken have provided to us during the process," said Rutherford.
Granato was equally quick to express gratitude for her experience with the NHL's 32nd franchise.
"I want to thank Tod Leiweke, Ron and the entire Seattle Kraken organization," said Granato. "It was extremely special to help build their team and to be part of their inaugural NHL season. Ron supported me throughout my time in Seattle and continued to support me when Vancouver approached me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Granato said she is "thrilled" to join Rutherford and a Canucks hockey operations group that now includes two female assistant GMs: "It's a dream to have an opportunity like this in the city that I call home, and with an exciting young team with championship aspirations."
Granato's rise to sports royalty started in a suburban Chicago basement, where she played out her hockey dreams, never backing down from older brothers, Don, currently head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, and Tony, a former NHL standout who coaches the men's hockey program at the University of Wisconsin. She played on boys youth hockey teams because there were no girls programs growing up.
Granato captained the 1998 Team USA women's team to an Olympic gold medal that inspired a generation of female players, even developing a personal connection with a then-child and now alternate captain of Team USA at the Beijing Olympics, the highly decorated Hillary Knight.
Along with leading the iconic 1998 gold-medal team in Nagano, Japan, Granato was a key member of 10 world championship medal-winning teams (one gold, nine silver) plus a silver medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Participating in seven 4 Nations Cup tournaments, she and teammates notched two golds and five silvers.
Granato is the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. women's team with 343 points, including 186 goals and 157 assists.
She was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, along with Canada great Angela James. They were the first two women inducted.
In late 2021, Granato joined former Canada team captain and popular broadcaster Cassie Campbell-Pascall as the two women currently on the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee.
And there's more. Just a week ago, Granato added "author" to her innovative standing in the hockey universe and beyond. Her children's book, "I Can Play Too," aims squarely at empowering girls to believe they belong on hockey rinks and teams as much as boys. It doubles as an inspirational story for any girl following an unconventional dream.
The book, available for sale ($17.99) at Kraken team stores and
onescooppublishing.com
, is three years in the writing and editing but germinated when reading to then three-year-old son Riley and baby Reese.
She will be missed in the Kraken organization and Seattle community.