Brian Gionta

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Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
Nickname(s) Gio
The Rochester Rocket
Height
Weight		 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
175 lb (79 kg/12 st 7 lb)
NHL Team New Jersey Devils
Nationality Flag of the United States United States
Born January 18, 1979 (1979-01-18) (age 29),
Rochester, New York
NHL Draft 82nd overall, 1998
New Jersey Devils
Pro career 2001 – present

Brian Gionta (born January 18, 1979 in Rochester, New York) is an American ice hockey right winger currently with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. He is 5' 7 (170 cm), and weighs 175 pounds, making him the smallest player in the National Hockey League. He goes by the nickname Gio from his teammates and The Rochester Rocket, dubbed by the media.

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[edit] Playing career

Gionta was drafted #82 overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. The diminutive but fiery forward skated for Boston College from 1997 to 2001, winning a National Championship as Eagles captain in the 2000–2001 season. He was mentored by current Edmonton Oilers forward Marty Reasoner; also a Rochester, NY native; and enjoyed his best statistical season in his freshman year on a line with Reasoner, posting 30 goals and 62 points in 40 games as the Eagles fell to the University of Michigan in the National Championship game in Boston.

Gionta followed up with a 60 point season his sophomore year as BC was eliminated by Hockey East rival, the University of Maine in the Frozen Four semifinals, then a 33 goal, 56 point season in his junior year as the Eagles fell to North Dakota in that year's National Championship game.

In his senior season as captain, Gionta's point total dipped again to 54 points, however, a roster stocked with future NHL talent produced a National Championship as Boston College defeated North Dakota, 3–2 in overtime in Albany, New York.

His brother, Stephen, played for Boston College and helped distinguish the Eagles as one of the best college hockey teams in the nation; Stephen signed an amateur tryout contract with the Albany River Rats, the Devils' farm team, in April 2006. Stephen is still playing for the Devil's affiliate, now the Lowell Devils.

Brian has played 310 games for New Jersey, plus 50 playoff games. He was a member of the 2002–03 Stanley Cup championship team. He played for their affiliate, the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League during the 2004–2005 lockout. He was part of the 2006 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team that competed in Torino, Italy.

Listed at 5'7" Brian Gionta is the smallest player currently playing in the National Hockey League. He has enjoyed great success from the second half of the 2003–2004 season up until present day. He was one third of the Devil's "EGG" line, playing right wing for linemates Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez. The line was the best in the NHL during the second half of the 2003–04 season.

Today, Brian Gionta is one of the Devils' most effective offensive forces despite his small stature. Gionta "crashes the net", day in and day out, showing that he plays like a player twice his size. On March 28, 2006, Gionta became the first Devils player to reach 40 goals in a season since Patrik Elias and Alexander Mogilny each reached the mark in the 2000–2001 season. On the last game of the season, he broke Pat Verbeek's franchise record for goals in a season, finishing with 48. He also currently holds the franchise all-time power play goal scoring record in a season with 24.

On October 27th, 2007 Gionta scored the first Devils' goal in the history of the Prudential Center in the 2nd period of a 4–1 loss to Ottawa.

[edit] Personal

He is the middle child of Sam and Penny Gionta; his younger brother is Stephen Gionta, a forward for the Devil's AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils. Brian Gionta and his wife, Harvest, have a son, Adam. He went to Our Mother of Sorrows for K-8th grade and the Aquinas Institute of Rochester for high school.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Records

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1997–98 Boston College Eagles Hockey East 40 30 32 62 44
1998–99 Boston College Eagles Hockey East 39 27 33 60 46
1999–00 Boston College Eagles Hockey East 42 33 23 56 66
2000–01 Boston College Eagles Hockey East 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
NHL Totals 392 132 120 252 195 60 17 18 35 14

Stats as of May 29, 2008.

[edit] International play

[edit] External links