Denver, CO (Best E Casino) - The Colorado Avalanche named Tony Granato head coach on Thursday.

Granato, who served as an Avs assistant last season, will be embarking on his second stint as Colorado's mentor. He also served as the Avalanche's head coach for parts of two seasons from 2002-04, posting a 72-33-17-11 record and piloting Colorado to a pair of postseason appearances.

"We're extremely pleased to announce Tony Granato as the Avalanche's head coach," said general manager Francois Giguere. "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.

"I'm excited about this challenge," said Granato. "I know this team has a great mix of youth, experience, skill and speed. I'm looking forward to this new opportunity ahead."

Granato replaces Joel Quenneville, who was not retained after leading Colorado to a 44-31-7 finish last season and the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

The Avs won their first round series over the Minnesota Wild in six games, but were swept out of the playoffs in a second-round drubbing by the Detroit Red Wings.

Quenneville, who was in the last year of his contract, led the Avs to a 131-92-23 mark in three seasons behind the bench.