Gionta, a former captain of the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, accepted a role with the Sabres organization.

"I'm announcing my retirement today," Gionta said. "Looking forward to spending more time with my family and also playing a small part with the organization. Looking forward to that next step of my career."

A native of Rochester, New York, who lives in Buffalo, Gionta, 39, was chosen by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (No. 82) of 1998 NHL Draft. He won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003 and scored 48 goals in 2005-06, breaking the Devils record set by Pat Verbeek (46) in 1987-88.

Tweet from @NJDevils: Congrats to 2003 #NJDevils Stanley Cup Champion @Giostyle21 on your retirement and an amazing career! pic.twitter.com/oz7ficP3E6

 Gionta spent three seasons with the Sabres (2014-17) and played for the United States at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. He had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 20 regular-season games with the Boston Bruins after signing as a free agent Feb. 25.

"Playing with my childhood team, the Sabres, was a highlight of my career," Gionta said.

Tweet from @BuffaloSabres: WNY native. 1,026 @NHL games. 595 points. Sabres Captain. @USAHockey Olympian. @StanleyCup Champion. Congrats @Giostyle21 on your retirement and an outstanding career! pic.twitter.com/gJkC7nfYcY

Gionta finishes with 595 points (291 goals, 304) in 1,026 NHL games.

"He's somebody I grew up watching and all of a sudden I'm sitting a few stalls away from him my first years in the NHL," Sabres center Jack Eichel told The Buffalo News. "That was cool. It's an unbelievable career and I'm just happy I was able to be a part of it."

Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Merci Gio��pour ton d��vouement, ton leadership et pour avoir ��t�� un excellent ambassadeur des Canadiens.Thank you, @Giostyle21, for your dedication, your leadership, and for being such a great ambassador for the Canadiens. Congrats on a great career. Enjoy retirement! pic.twitter.com/jPLBKSt0FO