Montreal Canadiens officially name Brian Gionta as 28th captain
After a long wait, the Montreal Canadiens have officially named right-winger Brian Gionta as the team’s new captain.
The naming was made official on Wednesday, after the
La Presse newspaper had previously published a report speculating that Gionta would be handed the captaincy by the Habs’ management.
The newly-anointed captain is the second American player to wear the ‘C’ for the storied franchise. Defenceman Chris Chelios, who recently announced his retirement from the National Hockey
League, was the last American to serve as the Canadiens’ captain. He held the title during the 1989-90 season.
Gionta fills the position vacated by previous captain, Saku Koivu. Koivu departed Montreal and signed with the Anaheim Ducks after the 2008-09 season. He was also the team’s first European-born
captain, and was the longest-tenured captain since Jean Beliveau. The veteran Finn presently serves as an alternate captain with the Ducks.
Gionta was signed by the Canadiens before the start of the 2009-10 season, which also saw the team add left-winger Mike Cammalleri and Scott Gomez, Gionta’s former New Jersey Devils teammate,
to the roster. He scored 28 goals and 18 assists for 46 points in 61 games last season. He also added nine goals and six assists for 15 points in 19 games during the Habs’ surprising playoff run.
The Rochester, New York native stands only 5ft 7in, and is one of the smallest players in the National Hockey League. However, he plays with an intensity that makes him seem much larger
than his small frame. Gionta’s best season totals to date were in 2005-06, when he put of totals of 48 goals and 41 assists for 89 points, which were all career highs.
Drafted by the Devils 82nd overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, the man affectionately known as 'Gio' made his NHL debut in the 2001-02 season. He scored only 11 points (4G, 7A) in 33
games during his rookie campaign. He would later go on to win a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2002-03.
In 534 career games in the NHL, Gionta has scored 180 goals and 178 assists for a total of 358 points.
Tags: