Gionta has employed a tenacious ferocity on the ice to overcome his lack of size and fashion a long and productive NHL career.

The New Jersey Devils selected the 5-foot-7, 178-pound Gionta in the third round (No. 82) in the 1998 NHL Draft.

Gionta was a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award while at Boston College, posting a pair of 60-point seasons. He was named Hockey East Player of the Year in 2000-01 as he captained the Eagles to the NCAA title. Gionta led the nation with 33 goals that season, scoring five goals on five shots in the first period of a Jan. 27, 2001 win against Maine.

Making his pro debut with Albany of the American Hockey League in 2001-02, Gionta was called up to the Devils and made his NHL debut Dec. 30, 2001, against the Edmonton Oilers. He scored his first NHL goal Jan. 3, 2002, against the Nashville Predators. His Stanley Cup Playoff debut came April 17, 2002, against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Gionta was named the Devils Unsung Player of the Year in 2003-04. Accumulating 48 goals and 89 points, including 26 multipoint games, Gionta was named Devils MVP in 2005-06.

He registered his first NHL hat trick in New Jersey's Oct. 12, 2006 home-opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and on Oct. 27, 2007, scored the first Devils goal at the Prudential Center. Gionta enjoyed an eight-game point streak from Nov. 14-Dec. 4, 2008.

Signed by the Montreal Canadiens as a free agent on July 1, 2009, he was named the 28th captain in Canadiens history on Sept. 29, 2010.

In 2010-11, Gionta led the Canadiens with 29 goals, posting an five-game point streak from Nov. 6-16, 2010. On March 5, 2013, Gionta scored the 20,000th goal in the Canadiens' NHL history, against the New York Islanders, and played his 100th Stanley Cup Playoff game May 1, 2014, against the Boston Bruins.

Signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2014, Gionta recorded his 500th NHL point with a goal Feb. 19, 2015, against the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored 16 points in his last 14 games of the season, including six two-point efforts in a nine-game span.