Is this the end of the road for NHL veteran Brian Gionta?
If so, the former captain of the Buffalo Sabres deserves a round of appreciation.
The Sabres have called a press conference for 1:00 p.m. Buffalo time on Monday where Gionta is expected to make his retirement official
Gionta's path to the NHL was not paved with gold. He had to work to prove himself at every level of hockey along his journey. At 5'7" and 170 lbs. there were many teams looking for Gionta.
The Rochester, N.Y. natives was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (#82) at the 1998 NHL EntryDraft.
Gionta was a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award while at Boston College, posting a pair of 60-point seasons. At BC, Gionta was named Hockey East Player of the Year in 2000-01 as he captained the Eagles to the NCAA title. Gionta led the USA with 33 goals that season, scoring five goals on five shots in the first period of a January 27, 2001 win over Maine.
Gionta made his professional hockey debut in 2001-02 with the AHL Albany River Rats. Gionta earned his first NHL call-up to the New Jersey Devils and made his NHL debut on December 30, 2001, against the Edmonton Oilers. Gionta scored his first NHL goal on January 3, 2002, against the Nashville Predators. Gionta's Stanley Cup Playoff debut came April 17, 2002, against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Gionta earned the Devils Unsung Player of the Year in 2003-04.
By scoring 48 goals and 89 points, including 26 multi-point games, Gionta was named Devils MVP in 2005-06.
Signed by the Montreal Canadiens as a free agent on July 1, 2009, Gionta was named the 28th captain in Canadiens history on September 29, 2010.
In 2010-11, Gionta led the Canadiens with 29 goals. On March 5, 2013, Gionta scored the 20,000th goal in the Canadiens' NHL history, against the New York Islanders, and played his 100th Stanley Cup Playoff game May 1, 2014, against the Boston Bruins.
Signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2014, Gionta recorded his 500th NHL point with a goal February 19, 2015, against the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored 16 points in his last 14 games of the season, including six two-point efforts in a nine-game span.
Gionta's Career At A Glance
Hockey East Rookie of the Year (1998)
Hockey East Second All-Star Team (1998)
NCAA East Second All-American Team (1998)
Hockey East First All-Star Team (1999, 2000, 2001)
NCAA East First All-American Team (1999, 2000, 2001)
Hockey East Player of the Year (2001)
Signed as a free agent by Montreal, July 1, 2009.
Signed as a free agent by Buffalo, July 1, 2014.
Signed as a free agent by Boston, February 25, 2018.
In October 2017, Gionta was an unsigned urestricted free agent looking for an NHL club to sign with. The Sabres opted to move forward with the youth movement under new GM Jason Botterill.
Then, Amerks General Manager Randy Sexton invited Gionta to practice with the team. Gionta was names captain of Team USA's Olympic Mens Hockey team and he used the training stint with the Amerks to get himslef into tip-top hockey shape.
When he returned from the Olympics. Gionta signed a free agent contarct with the Boston Bruins where he scored 2 goals and 5 assists in 20 games played. Gionta played in one playoff games for the Bruins last spring.
The 39-year-old Gionta has appeared in 1,026 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins over a 16-year professional career in which he scored 588 points (289 goals and 299 assists) and 375 penalty minutes.
Gionta has also compiled 68 points (32 goals and 36 assists) over 113 career playoff appearances and was a member of the 2003 Stanley Cup-winning New Jersey Devils.
Gionta has served as team captain in each of his last seven seasons, including the previous three in Buffalo. He scored 103 points (40 goals and 63 assists) in 230 career games with the Sabres from 2014-17, appearing in his 1,000th NHL game during the 2016-17 season.
Earlier this summer, Gionta participated in Buffalo Sabres prospect development camp as an on ice mentor and coach. Gionta seemingly relished the opportunity to help guide and teach the next generation of Sabres stars. I can see a day in teh very newar future where Gionta remains in the employment of the Sabres as a player development, skills development coach. It would be the best of both worlds for Gionta to stay involved in the NHL and still live in his hometown of Rochester, NY. It would not surprise me in the least if down the road a few years from now Gionta were to transition from the ice to the front office as an assistant general manager.
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