Brian Gionta
American forward who captained the Canadiens, Sabres, and Team USA.
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Brian Joseph Gionta, born January 18, 1979, is an American former professional ice hockey forward who spent 16 seasons in the NHL. He debuted in 2001 with the New Jersey Devils and later wore the captain’s C for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. He also captained the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics, stepping away from the NHL for most of the 2017–18 season because the league refused to release its players for the first time since 1994. After the Olympics, he played briefly for the Boston Bruins and retired following their playoff exit.
Playing career
Growing up, Gionta played in the 1993 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor team from Rochester, New York. He attended Aquinas Institute in Rochester, where he was named Rookie of the Year in 1993–94. The Devils selected him 82nd overall in the 1998 NHL draft.
Boston College
At Boston College from 1997 to 2001, he won a national championship as captain in 2000–01. Mentored by fellow Rochester native Marty Reasoner, Gionta posted his best statistical season as a freshman on a line with Reasoner, scoring 30 goals and 62 points in 40 games, though the Eagles lost the national championship to Michigan. His sophomore year brought 60 points, but Boston College fell to Maine in the Frozen Four semifinals.
As a junior, he had 33 goals and 56 points, losing to North Dakota in the title game. In his senior season as captain, his point total dipped to 54, but the Eagles beat North Dakota 3–2 in overtime for the championship. That year, he led the nation with 33 goals, including a game against Maine where he scored on each of his first five shots.
New Jersey Devils (2001–2009)
Gionta joined the Devils in 2001–02 and was part of the 2003 Stanley Cup-winning team that defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. During the 2004–05 lockout, he played for the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. He represented the United States at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
As a key piece of New Jersey’s “EGG” line with Patrik Eliáš and Scott Gomez, he was an offensive force. In the final game of the 2005–06 season, he broke Pat Verbeek’s franchise record for goals in a season with 48, finishing with a career-high 89 points in 82 games. On October 27, 2007, he scored the first Devils goal at the Prudential Center during a 4–1 loss to Ottawa (Chris Neil scored the first overall).
Lore & Background
Gionta played youth hockey in Rochester, New York, and attended the Aquinas Institute. He skated for Boston College from 1997 to 2001, winning a national championship as Eagles captain in the 2000–01 season. He was mentored by former NHL forward Marty Reasoner and posted 30 goals and 62 points in his freshman year. In his senior season he led the nation in goal-scoring with 33 goals, including a performance against the University of Maine in which he scored on each of his first five shots.
Gionta joined the New Jersey Devils during the 2001–02 season and was a member of the 2003 Stanley Cup-winning team. As part of the Devils' 'EGG' line with Patrik Eliáš and Scott Gomez, he broke Pat Verbeek's franchise record for goals in a season with 48 in 2005–06. He scored the first Devils goal at the Prudential Center in 2007. On July 1, 2009, he signed a five-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens, reuniting with Scott Gomez.
Montreal Canadiens (2009–2014)
He scored the last goal at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena during game seven of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals. On September 29, 2010, he became the second American-born player to serve as captain of the Canadiens, after Chris Chelios. In 2012–13 he played all 48 games of the lockout-shortened season and scored the 20,000th NHL goal in Canadiens history. He tore his bicep in game one of the 2013 playoffs and underwent season-ending surgery.
Buffalo Sabres (2014–2017)
On July 1, 2014, Gionta signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres and was named captain, the first New York native to hold that position. He played his 1,000th NHL game on March 27, 2017. After the Sabres did not re-sign him, he joined the Rochester Americans' practice squad to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he captained Team USA. He later signed with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of the 2017–18 season and retired after their playoff elimination.
Reader's Guide
Brian Gionta's career is notable for his leadership roles across multiple teams and his ability to overcome his diminutive stature to become a prolific scorer. He captained both the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres, and also led the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics after stepping away from the NHL for most of that season. His 48-goal season in 2005–06 remains a New Jersey Devils franchise record.
Gionta's time with the Canadiens included scoring the 20,000th goal in franchise history and leading the team to a Northeast Division title in 2012–13. After retiring, he transitioned into coaching, joining the Sabres as a development coach and later taking roles with Niagara University's D1 hockey team and the Rochester Jr. Americans. His career spanned 16 NHL seasons and included a Stanley Cup championship with the Devils in 2003.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1993–94 | Aquinas Institute | HS-NY | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Rochester Jr. Americans | EmJHL | 28 | 52 | 37 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Niagara Scenic | MetJHL | 51 | 47 | 44 | 91 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Niagara Scenic | MetJHL | 50 | 57 | 70 | 127 | 101 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 21 |
| 1997–98 | Boston College | HE | 40 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Boston College | HE | 39 | 27 | 33 | 60 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | Boston College | HE | 42 | 33 | 23 | 56 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Boston College | HE | 43 | 33 | 21 | 54 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 37 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 33 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 58 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 21 | 8 | 29 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 15 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 48 | 41 | 89 | 46 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2006–07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 62 | 25 | 20 | 45 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| 2007–08 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2008–09 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 2009–10 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 28 | 18 | 46 | 26 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 14 |
| 2010–11 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 29 | 17 | 46 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 31 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 81 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 22 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 69 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 20 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 1,026 | 291 | 304 | 595 | 377 | 113 | 32 | 36 | 68 | 34 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | United States | WJC | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | United States | WJC | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | |
| 2000 | United States | WC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2001 | United States | WC | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2005 | United States | WC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2006 | United States | OLY | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2018 | United States | OLY | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 6 | |||
| Senior totals | 34 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 20 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-Hockey East Rookie Team | 1997–98 |
| Hockey East Rookie of the Year | 1997–98 |
| All-Hockey East Second Team | 1997–98 |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American | 1997–98 |
| All-Hockey East First Team | 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 |
| AHCA East First-Team All-American | 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 |
| World Junior Championships All-Star Team | 1999 |
| Hockey East Player of the Year | 2000–01 |
| Stanley Cup | 2003 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Brian Gionta (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Brian Gionta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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