Gionta began his NHL career in 2001 with the New Jersey Devils and served as captain for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres.

The diminutive but fiery forward attended high school at the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, New York, where in 1993–94 he was selected as their Rookie of the Year.

Gionta followed up with a 60-point season his sophomore year as Boston College was eliminated by their Hockey East rival, the University of Maine, in the Frozen Four semi-finals.

Nevertheless, a roster stocked with future NHL talent produced a national championship as Boston College defeated North Dakota 3–2 in overtime in Albany, New York.

During his senior season, he led the nation in goal-scoring with 33 goals, including a performance against the University of Maine in which he scored on each of his first five shots.

Gionta, who joined the New Jersey Devils during the 2001–02 season, was a member of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals-winning team that prevailed over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for the Devils' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Albany River Rats.

[3] Just prior to his second season with the club, in 2010–11, on September 29, 2010, Gionta became only the second American-born player to serve as team captain of the Canadiens, after Chris Chelios.

[note 1] Entering the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs as the second seed against the Ottawa Senators, Gionta tore his bicep in Game 1 and was forced to undergo season-ending surgery to repair it.

[11] In January 2023, Niagara University announced that Gionta would join their D1 hockey team’s coaching staff as the Director of Player Development.