Montreal Canadiens Former Captain Brian Gionta Heading To USA Hall of Fame
The Montreal Canadiens have a long history of excellent captains. Brian Gionta adds to that legacy by being inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Montreal Canadiens list of former captains is a long list of excellent hockey players. One of their most underrated captains during their more than 100 years as an NHL team was Brian Gionta.
The Rochester, New York native may not jump off the long list of Canadiens captains when you compare him to the likes of Jean Beliveau, but he will be rightfully be recognized by USA Hockey as an all-time great. It was announced yesterday that he will be enshrined in the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gionta was a small winger who first made the National Hockey League in 2001-02. He helped the New Jersey Devils win a Stanley Cup in 2003, but played a depth role at the time. He really exploded onto the scene following the 2004-05 lockout. Immediately after the lost season, Gionta scored 48 goals and 89 points for the New Jersey Devils.
More from Habs News
- Montreal Canadiens: Biggest Questions Going Into 2023-24
- Montreal Canadiens: Quentin Miller’s Poise And Confidence Fuel His Game
- Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Top Defence Pair Could Be Set
- Montreal Canadiens: Worst Move Of The Pierre Gauthier Era
- Montreal Canadiens: Could Casey DeSmith End Up In Colorado?
That was surely the best season of his career. After topping the 20 goal plateau for three more seasons, Gionta became an unrestricted free agent. He scored 20 goals and 40 assists for 60 points in 81 games during his final season with the Devils.
Gionta signed a five-year contract with the Canadiens in the summer of 2009, with an annual cap hit of $5 million. It was an offseason that saw a complete overhaul in Montreal, as cornerstones likes Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, and top players like Alex Tanguay and Mike Komisarek all left as free agents.
The new players tasked with leading the Canadiens into the future were Gionta as well as Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri. They did a pretty good job in year one as Gionta scored 28 goals and 48 points in just 61 games and helped carry the team to the Eastern Conference Final with nine goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games.
Gionta was named the captain of the Canadiens following that unsuspecting run to the final four of the NHL postseason. He would go on to score 29 goals and 46 points the following season and battled through an excruciating biceps injury during the playoffs to almost lead the team to an upset victory over the Boston Bruins in round one. The Bruins won Game 7 in overtime before marching all the way to a Stanley Cup victory.
Injuries slowed Gionta during the final three years of his contract in Montreal. He would finish up his five year deal with 303 games played in a Habs jersey, scoring 97 goals and 173 points in that time. Throughout his career, Gionta played a total of 1026 games with the Devils, Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins. He scored 291 goals and 595 points.
Gionta also represented his country on several occasions. He played two World Juniors and scored 11 goals and 19 points in 13 games. He also played in three World Championships and a pair of Olympic Games while wearing the American flag on his chest.
dark. Next. Cole Caufield Starts His Season Doing What He Does - Scoring
The induction ceremony will be held on December, 12th in Washington, D.C. Also joining Gionta in the USA Hall of Fame will be Gary Bettman, Neal Henderson, Tim Thomas and Krissy Wendell.