Brian Gionta spent his 44th birthday on Jan. 18 like most typical weekdays.
“A nice relaxing day the first half of the day,” Gionta said last week, “and then it’s bringing the kids off to everything in the second half.”
Traveling to hockey games with sons Adam, 17, and James, 10, and soccer matches with daughter Leah, 14, takes up a good portion of the lives of Gionta and his wife, Harvest, in Rochester, New York. But Gionta, who retired from the NHL in 2018 after 16 seasons, has been dipping his toes into coaching, joining Niagara University as director of player development Jan. 12.
“I’ve known the coach Jason Lammers for a few years, and I’ve done some talks the last few years and he’s tried to kind of get me to help out and be a part of stuff,” Gionta said. “This year, he wanted to figure out a way to get me in and we carved out a day a week.”
Gionta, who also serves as an assistant on the Buffalo Junior Sabres’ 18-and-under AAA team for which Adam plays, said he’ll also try to get to some of Niagara’s games that fit into his schedule. But it’s mostly working the players and coaches before, during and after practices on Wednesdays.
He has a lot to share from his playing experiences.
A 5-foot-7, 178-pound forward, Gionta played four seasons at Boston College (1997-2001), where he remains the all-time leader with 123 goals, before signing with the New Jersey Devils, who selected him in the third round (No. 82) of the 1998 NHL Draft. In 1,026 NHL games with the Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Sabers and Boston Bruins, Gionta had 595 points (291 goals, 304 assists).
Gionta, who was captain of the Canadiens and Sabres, also represented the United States at the 2006 Torino Olympics and 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where he was captain.
“I think sometimes you take it for granted you’ve played so long, and you know little intricacies, little things here and there throughout the game that you’ve learned,” Gionta said. “So just little things like that, grabbing guys after practice. Really not much influence on their style of play. More just little things here and there that they can do whether it’s face-offs or board play or net-front play, things like that you can impart.”
In a Q&A with NHL.com, Gionta discussed his potential future in coaching, the progress of the Sabers and Devils this season and Jack HughesChances of breaking his single-season Devils goal record.
Is this job with Niagara University a step towards you eventually becoming more involved in coaching, potentially with an NHL team?
“I’m not sure. It’s kind of how I’ve been the whole time I’ve been retired is I like doing some stuff. I don’t want to be tied down too much right now full-time commitment-wise. So right now, it’s the best of both worlds where I can spend the time with the family, have the flexibility to do that, and still kind of be around the game and players and coaches and whatnot… I don’t know what two years out or three years, five years looks like. I’ve just kind of been enjoying the time as it comes.”
How much do you watch the Sabres?
“I go on a podcast with Craig Rivet and Andrew Peters once a week, so that keeps me watching them a little more closely. So yeah, you watch it, you’re right here, you’re a part of that. I know a lot of people in the organization whether it’s (general manager) Kevyn Adams or Matt Ellis, their assistant coach, people like that. So it’s fun to watch their season.”
What do you think of the progress they’ve made towards contending for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
“For sure, this is the best it’s looked over a stretch of time. I don’t know if they’re a playoff team this year, but they’re making the strides that a rebuilding team wants to make, each year getting a a little better, a little closer. They’re competing for a wild card right now, so that’s everything you want in that rebuild. It’s just taken longer to get there.”
When you look forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlinare those two foundational players for the Sabers long-term?
“Yeah, I think those are your staples. They’re clearly building around that little young core and they’re heck of talents. They’re progressing really nicely. Thompson was a little steeper of a curve, but Dahlin every year just gets better and better and it’s nice that they’ve given them the leeway to be them and play and grow.”
When you watch Cole Caufield with the Canadiens, he’s a similar size to you (5-7, 174 pounds), but is he a similar player?
“He’s definitely a different kind of player. (Brendan) Gallagher kind of reminds more of me, but [Caufield] can shoot the puck. He’s more open and find him and he’s going to bury it. So it’s fun to watch him play.”
Jack Hughes has 30 goals in 46 games, putting him on pace to score 53, which would break the Devils record you set when you scored 48 in 2005-06. Are you keeping an eye on him?
“You know what? My son asked me the other day, ‘Do you think he’ll break the record?’ And I go, ‘How many does he have?’ And I knew he had mid-to-high 20s at the time. But I haven’t been watching closely. I think as it comes down the stretch, we’ll see. Listen, it’s bound to happen. The team in its existence has not ‘t had a 50-goal scorer. I’ve got to think it’s coming very soon.”
What impresses you about him?
“He’s a heck of a player. I know the family. I played at BC with his uncle (Marty Hughes) and I know his dad a little bit. So we know the family, great family, so it would be awesome to see him. break it, for sure.”
The Devils look like they could qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Happy to see the progress they’ve made?
“Yeah, they’ve kind of exploded this year. It’s fun to watch. I know (coach) Lindy (Ruff) well. I know (assistant) Chris Taylor really well from Rochester, so it’s fun to see those guys having success. “
Can you believe it’s been almost 20 years since you won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003?
“No, it’s crazy. It’s weird to think it’s been that long, but it should be fun. We’re trying to make it there for the [20th anniversary celebration before the Devils game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 25]. … You keep in touch with some guys, but it would be nice to see everyone else that you haven’t been able to keep in touch with.”
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