Brian Gionta
Brian Gionta | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 18, 1979 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 2001–2018 |
| Known for | NHL player; captain of Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and 2018 U.S. Olympic team |
Brian Joseph Gionta (born January 18, 1979) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) for sixteen seasons. His NHL journey began in 2001 when he joined the New Jersey Devils. Gionta later took on the role of captain for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. Additionally, he captained the United States squad during the 2018 Winter Olympics, missing much of the 2017–18 NHL season due to the league’s decision not to permit player participation in the Olympics. He concluded his playing career shortly after a stint with the Boston Bruins, retiring following their exit from the playoffs.
Playing career
In his early years, Gionta participated in the 1993 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing a minor hockey team from Rochester, New York.
Boston College
Selected 82nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Gionta attended Rochester’s Aquinas Institute, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors during the 1993–94 season. He then competed for Boston College between 1997 and 2001, captaining the Eagles during their national championship-winning campaign in 2000–01. Guided by fellow Rochester native and former NHL player Marty Reasoner, Gionta delivered an impressive freshman season tallying 30 goals and 62 points across 40 games, although Boston College fell to the University of Michigan in the national championship final.
During his sophomore year, he accumulated 60 points before Boston College was defeated by rival University of Maine in the Frozen Four semifinals. In his junior season, Gionta scored 33 goals and totaled 56 points; however, his team lost to the University of North Dakota in that year’s national championship game.
As a senior and team captain, Gionta led all NCAA players with 33 goals and played a pivotal role in Boston College’s national title victory—a 3–2 overtime win against North Dakota held in Albany, New York. A highlight from that season included scoring on each of his first five shots during a game versus Maine.
New Jersey Devils (2001–2009)
Gionta entered the NHL with the New Jersey Devils for the 2001–02 season and was a member of their squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2003 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he skated for Albany River Rats, New Jersey’s AHL affiliate. In 2006, he represented the U.S. men’s team at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Primarily positioned on right wing alongside Patrik Eliáš and Scott Gomez on the Devils’ "EGG" line, Gionta was a significant offensive force. On March 28, 2006, he became the first Devils player since the 2000–01 season to reach 40 goals in a single campaign. He set a franchise record by scoring 48 goals during the 2005–06 season while also achieving a personal best of 89 points over 82 games. On October 27, 2007, Gionta netted the inaugural Devils goal at their new home arena, Prudential Center. Throughout his tenure with New Jersey, he appeared in 473 regular-season contests and participated in 67 playoff games, holding as of 2011 the franchise record for most power play goals scored in one season with a total of 24.
Montreal Canadiens (2009–2014)
On July 1, 2009, Gionta committed to a five-year contract worth $25 million with the Montreal Canadiens, rejoining former Devils teammate Scott Gomez. He notably netted the final goal at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena during Game 7 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
On September 29, 2010, Gionta became just the second American-born player to captain the Canadiens, following in the footsteps of Chris Chelios. Throughout the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season, he appeared in all 48 games, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists while guiding Montreal from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to securing their 23rd Northeast Division championship. On March 5, 2013, he scored the franchise’s milestone 20,000th NHL goal. Unfortunately, a bicep tear sustained in Game 1 of the playoffs required season-ending surgery.
Buffalo Sabres (2014–2017)
Gionta signed a three-year free-agent contract with his hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres, on July 1, 2014, earning $4.25 million annually. On October 7, 2014, he was appointed captain of the Sabres, marking him as the first New York native to hold that position. He reached a career milestone by playing his 1,000th NHL game on March 27, 2017, facing off against the Florida Panthers in Buffalo.
Boston Bruins (2018)
On February 25, 2018, Gionta agreed to a one-year deal worth $700,000 for the remainder of the season with the Boston Bruins.
Retirement
Gionta declared his retirement on September 24, 2018, subsequently joining the Sabres organization as a development coach. In January 2023, Niagara University named him Director of Player Development for their Division I hockey program. Additionally, he holds the position of associate head coach for the Rochester Jr. Americans competing in the NAHL.
International play
Following the Sabres’ decision not to re-sign him in 2017 after Jason Pominville’s return, Gionta accepted a practice-only contract with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, on October 9, 2017. This arrangement enabled his participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics after the NHL opted out due to financial disagreements with the IOC. On October 18, 2017, Gionta was named captain of Team USA’s pre-Olympic roster. He turned down NHL offers to compete at the Olympics and intended to re-sign afterward.
On January 29, 2018, Gionta’s practice contract was elevated to a one-game professional tryout with Rochester, allowing him to compete against the Toronto Marlies on February 2 before departing for Olympic duties. Despite a 4-2 defeat, he scored a goal in that contest.
Personal life
Gionta is the middle son of Sam and Penny Gionta. He and his wife Harvest have three children together. His brother, Stephen Gionta, played professionally for both the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. An older brother named Joe also played hockey at the Aquinas Institute. Brian Gionta resides near Rochester, New York, close to where his parents live.
Records
- Holds New Jersey Devils’ single-season goal record with 48 goals scored during the 2005–06 campaign
Regular season and playoffs
2011–12 NHL season Montreal Canadiens NHL 31|||8|||7|||15|||16 —|||—|||—|||—|||— 2012–13 NHL season Montreal Canadiens NHL 48|||14|||12|||26|||8 2|||0|||1|||1|||0 2013–14 NHL season Montreal Canadiens NHL 81|||18|||22|||40|||22 17|||1|||6|||7|||2 2014–15 NHL season Buffalo Sabres NHL 69|||13|||22|||35|||18 —|||—|||—|||—|||— 2015–16 NHL season Buffalo Sabres NHL 79|||12|||21|||33|||12 —|||—|||—|||—|||— 2016-17 NHL season Buffalo Sabres NHL 82|||15|||20|||35|||22 —|||—|||—|||—|||— 2017-18 AHL seasonRochester Americans AHL 1|||1|||0|||1|||0 —|||—|||—|||—|||— 2017-18 NHL seasonBoston Bruins NHL 20||||2||||5||||7||||2| 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 NHL season
Montreal Canadiens NHL 82|||29|||17|||46|||24 7|||3|||2|||5|||0 | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !1,026 | 291 | 304 | 595 | 377 !113 | 32 | 36 | 68 | 34 | ||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | 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 career totals | 13 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 6 | |||
| Senior career totals | 34 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 20 | |||
Awards and honors
| 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 |