By Craig Potter
Brian is in his final contract year with Buffalo as UFA Stephen looks to sign with a team.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Pro local hockey players Brian and Stephen Gionta signed autographs prior to the Rochester Red Wings game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday night at Frontier Field.
Brian is the current captain of the Buffalo Sabres and won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
“I’d love to win another one,” said Brian as he is looking forward to this season with the Sabres.
“The additions we made on ‘D’, forward improved our depth,” he said. “I think we’re spotting guys in where they need to be in the depth chart. Being able to play teams through-out our lineup, it’s going to be really fun to do that.
“We were coming into our own at the end of last year with that. Hopefully, this will be an extension of that.”
The Sabres may be hindered at the start of the season as goalie Robin Lehner’s ankle is not 100%.
“I hope they’re being smart here with holding him out of the World Cup,” Brian said. “He’s obviously a big part of our team, a big question mark as well. But I think if he comes in healthy, gets into it, then I think we’re going to be much better for it.”
Brian is a 14-year NHL veteran between the Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Sabres, and is 76 games played shy of 1,000 for his career.
Brian starred collegiately at Boston College, winning a National Championship with the Eagles as the team’s captain in 2000-01. He is BC’s all-time leading scorer with 123 goals.
Brian was just the second American to captain the Canadiens during his final 3 seasons in Montreal.
“Our time in Montreal, our five years there, we loved it,” said Brian. “The city is just a hockey mecca. Everything that everyone said coming through that tunnel at the Bell Centre is pretty special.
“The people, the fans embraced me, being an American, being a captain, they were all supportive of myself and my family; very welcoming and made us feel great.”
Parlez vous francais?
“We had a tutor come to the house for the first four years,” Brian said. “The last year we didn’t but the kids bring school homework home and stuff like that. Everything was in French so you’re bound to learn it.”
This season is the final year of Brian’s contract with the Sabres.
“I want to keep playing,” he said. “I feel good right now. We’ll reassess at the end of the year. I would love to continue this journey in Buffalo, that’s the reason for coming here, seeing this through and to be a part of that.”
Stephen began his professional career with the New Jersey Devils organization and his entire NHL career through the 2015-16 season was spent with the Devils. He has played 270 career games from 2010-16 including dressing for all 82 New Jersey games last season. Stephen also attended Boston College. He is currently an unrestricted free agent.
“It’s kind of get the kids ready for school here,” Stephen said. “They’ll start here and kind of go from there.”
When asked if there were any irons in the first, Stephen said, “I don’t know of any particular team right now. That’s for my agent. It’s just kind of wait-and-see and hope something comes up.”
Stephen is in training for training camp.
“That doesn’t change,” he said. “It’s all in our particular destination at that point. It doesn’t change the focus or anything. Once something happens, you worry about that as it comes.”
When asked if he would be willing to take a 2-way (NHL-AHL) contract, Stephen said, “Obviously you hope for a one-way, but what you wave one day and work my way from there. That’s what you have to do. Go on to training camp with the intention of being on the team that I’m there for.
“This is the first time I’m going through it after being part of New Jersey for 10 years. It was very nice to have that stability.”
Both brothers attended the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, where their parents still reside. Brian and Stephen also make their off-season homes in the Flower City area.
Rochester Red Wings – redwingsbaseball.com
Videos
Gionta brothers first pitches – https://youtu.be/IpsqjJgSTd8
Brian Gionta interview – https://youtu.be/LSjqMcMreEA
Stephen Gionta interview – https://youtu.be/y-73CZAwwWs
Tyler Duffey interview – https://youtu.be/9t-am58aXek
Manager Mike Quade interview – https://youtu.be/SK9gHW9hofw