The Colorado Avalanche announced Thursday that the club has appointed Tony Granato as the team's head coach.
Granato previously served in the role from 2002-2004.
With Granato behind the bench, the Avalanche compiled a record of 72-33-17-11, giving him the top coaching mark in franchise history based on points percentage (.647).
Granato owns a .605 career winning percentage as an NHL head coach (72-44-17), the second highest in franchise history.
"We're extremely pleased to announce Tony Granato as the Avalanche's head coach," said general manager Francois Giguere in a statement.
"Tony has gained tremendous coaching experience over the last five seasons behind the Avalanche bench. He has great knowledge of our depth chart, a strong admiration for our players and really enjoys working with the organization's young and talented group of athletes."
Granato completed his fifth season behind the Avalanche bench in 2008, his sixth year overall with the organization.
"We will design a system that allows these guys to show their talents and hopefully have career years," Granato told the Associated Press. "I am going to allow the players to be the best players that they can be and I'm going to provide the environment that allows them to do this."
