By Jordan Long
Right winger Brian Gionta has called It a career after 16 NHL seasons. According to ESPN, Gionta said, “I never thought it would have lasted as long as it did. I went into it hoping I could play one NHL game.” He will still be in the NHL joining the Buffalo Sabers’ front office as a development coach. Let’s take a look back at his time in the NHL.
Gionta was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round of the 1998 NHL Draft. He wouldn’t play his first NHL game until the 2002 season. That year he appeared in 33 games scoring 4 goals and adding 7 assists for a total of 11 points. Gionta stayed in New jersey for 6 more seasons.
When Gionta was a Devil, he became one of their top power play scorers. He was able to set up in front of the net for rebound chances which ended in goals. If Gionta couldn’t score, he passed to his teammates who would have a wide open net to score. His top year in a Devils’ uniform was 2006, scoring 48 goals and adding 41 assists for total of 89 points. He had an outstanding 24 goals on the man advantage. The Devils reached the playoffs with him every season and even won the Stanley Cup in 2003.
Following the 2009 season, Gionta decided to head north and sign with the Montreal Canadians. They were hoping his play would help the Canadians and possibly reach the Stanley Cup Final. He spent 5 seasons in Montreal but they didn’t reach the Final. He was still able to score. His best season in Montreal was in 2011 when he totaled 29 goals and 17 assists for 46 points. Montreal made the post season 4 times with him. The furthest they made it was the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010 but were knocked off by Philadelphia in 5 games.
At the conclusion of the 2014 season, Gionta decided to head to Buffalo. It was the only place in his NHL career he didn’t make the playoffs. He spent 3 years in Buffalo.
Last year Gionta waited to play in the NHL. He wanted to play in the Olympics and did so for team USA. Once the tournament was over, he signed with the Boston Bruins on February 26th, hoping to win a Cup one final time. He appeared in 20 games for the Bruins scoring 2 goals and adding 5 assists. Boston fell short in the playoffs and were knocked off in the 2nd-round by Tampa Bay in 6 games.
Gionta took his time deciding what was best for him and he felt it was time to leave the game. Gionta scored 291 goals and added 304 assists for total of 595 points. Of those goals, 82 of them were scored on the power play. In the postseason is where a skater wants to play well. In 113 playoff games, Gionta totaled 32 goals and 36 assists.
Gionta doesn’t have anything left to play for. He already won a Stanley Cup, which every NHL athlete dreams of. He showed his age of 39 last season and proved he couldn’t play in the NHL at a high level anymore. It was best for him to leave the game. Gionta will still be a part of the game in Buffalo. Hopefully he can help the Sabers win the Cup in a front office role.
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