Gionta was on the Devils' Stanley Cup championship team in 2002-03, his second NHL season, and played seven seasons in New Jersey before signing with the Montreal Canadiens as an unrestricted free agent in 2009. He was Montreal's captain for the final four seasons of his five-year contract, then signed with the Sabres in 2014, captain of Buffalo for three seasons.
Playing with Rochester intrigued him about the idea of working with the team's prospects. If having a family might not, for now, mesh with a career in coaching, helping young players is appealing to him. Buffalo's development camp this summer brought that process along, and Gionta said the Sabres are allowing him to feel his way, "so we'll see where that goes."
"I had a really good time last year, being around the guys in the room in Rochester," he said. "I was kind of between being a coach and a player. Guys came to me for advice, I was there to help mentor them and be a part of that. It was a fun year, it opened my eyes to see where I wanted to be."
On Wednesday, enjoying a summer day with his family at an amusement park in Rochester, hockey wasn't atop Gionta's list of priorities. Climbing aboard the Jack Rabbit, a historic wood roller coaster, was more on his mind, and he laughed when asked whether he made the height requirement to ride it.