Congratulations Brian Gionta for playing in your 1,000th NHL game.
The Rochester, NY native will become the 312th NHL player (23rd active player) to play in 1,000 games.
Gionta, 38, is the 43rd USA born NHL player to reach the 1,000 Games Club.
The 15-year NHL veteran has captained the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres' captain is the 10th player in team history to appear in his 1,000th game while donning the dual crossing swords sweater.
In 999 career NHL games, Gionta has scored 288 goals and 297 assists for 585 points. In 112 NHL playoff games, Gionta has scored 32 goals and 36 assists.
Games Gionta played 473 for New Jersey (2001-02 to 2008-09). He then played 303 games for the Montreal Canadiens (2009-10 to 2013-14), Monday night will be Gionta's 225th game for the Buffalo Sabres (2014-15 to Present).
Gionta's Career Milestones:
1st NHL Game – 12/30/2001 at Edmonton (with New Jersey)
500th NHL Game – 1/14/2010 vs. Dallas (with Montreal)
1,000th NHL Game – 3/27/2017 vs. Florida (with Buffalo)
There are no rocking chairs nor retirement speeches in Gionta's foreseeable future.
Thanks, Sabres TV
Former New Jersey Devils GM and task master Lou Lamoriello invested the 82nd overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in Gionta , who was four-year starter at Boston College.
“I’m just fortunate some people believed in me back in the day,” Gionta said. “(I’m grateful to) the Devils for giving me a chance to break into the league. I would’ve never thought it would’ve lasted this long.”
Don't let his advanced age fool you. Gionta is stil a superior athlete who has been blessed with excellent skills and good health. On a team of young twenty somethings, Gio has played in all 75 games this season. He has bagged 14 goals and 18 assists.
Gionta is pending UFA in July. His general manager Tim Murray approached his captain in February to ask if Gionta wanted to be traded to a contending team at the NHL trade deadline. Gionta Murray that he was not interested in a trade to another NHL team for a kick at winning another Stanley Cup. Gionta won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. He has memories from that experience to last a lifetime. Gionta told Murray that he is a man of his word and that he wants to stay in Buffalo to finish what he started three years ago when he arrived in the Queen City. Gionta has been a big brother and an excellent role model to players young and old during the tanking seasons. Gionta wants to stay in Buffalo and continue to play the role of mentor to Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Samson Reinhart, Kyle Okposo, Marcus Foligno, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, Evander Kane, and the Buffalo and Gio's hometown of Rochester.
I can see a time in the near future when Tim Murray hands another one year contract to Gionta to lock him in for next season. Who knows maybe Gionta will be the next Jaromir Jagr and continue to play well into his '40s.
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The nine other Buffalo players to appear in their 1,000th NHL game as a member of the Sabres (Playee and year milestone reached):
Dick Duff (1971)
Gilbert Perreault (1984)
Craig Ramsay (1984)
Don Lever (1986)l
Phil Russell (1986)
Dale Hawerchuk (1995)
Charlie Huddy (1996)
James Patrick (1999)
Mike Grier (2010)
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