BC's Gionta Joins Bruins After Olympics

U.S. Olympic 2018 men's hockey team captain Brian Gionta (Boston College) will be returning to the National Hockey League. The former Boston College All-America selection has signed with the Boston Bruins after leading the U.S. to a quarterfinal appearance in Pyeongchang, South Korea. According to NHL.com, the one-year contract is for $700,000 and makes Gionta eligible for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 5-foot-7 native of Rochester, N.Y. went scoreless during the Olympics, recording a team-high 16 shots on goals as the U.S. fell to Slovenia and Russia and also defeated Slovakia twice before falling to the Czech Republic in a shootout to finish seventh overall.

Gionta, 39, has registered 289-299--588 points in 1,006 NHL regular season contests with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, and served as team captain of both the Canadiens and Sabres. He also has notched 32-36--68 points in 112 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Canadiens and Devils. A third-round draft choice (82^nd overall) of New Jersey in 1998, he won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003, and still holds the franchise's single-season record with a 48-goal campaign in 2005-06.

Gionta played four years at BC (1997-2001), where he recorded a school record 123 goals and eight hat tricks in 164 games. He stands third all-time in school annals with 232 career points, and led the Eagles to a total of four Hockey East regular-season and tournament titles combined, along with four NCAA Frozen Four appearances and the 2001 national title.

A four-time All-Hockey East selection and a three-time All-America choice, Gionta was also a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's best player. He also won both the Walter Brown Award and the Hockey East Player of the Year Award as a senior in 2000-01, after scoring 33 goals for a second consecutive season.

Gionta last played in the NHL in 2016-17 with Buffalo, where he tallied 15-20—35 points in 81 games. He played one game with Rochester (AHL) prior to this year's Olympics, scoring one goal in his first minor-league appearance since the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Gionta, who has been assigned his customary jersey No. 12 by the Bruins, may appear in Boston's lineup in its next game, on Tuesday at home against Carolina at TD Garden.