Buffalo Sabres: Former Sabres to watch at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Brian Gionta – Team USA

The most exciting news for Buffalo Sabres fans out of this Olympic cycle is that their former captain will now lead the American team.

The Rochester native is now nearing 40-years-old, but that’s not stopping him from going after some more glory. It’s heart-warming to see Gionta get rewarded with something so special as to captain his country.

It was not an easy decision for Gionta as he had serious interest from NHL team,s but could not give up the opportunity to represent his country on the world stage.

"“Five, six teams had interest and wanted to sign me, not just (tryouts), wanted to sign,” said Gionta to Buffalo Hockey Beat. “But when I sat down and analyzed things, it didn’t work with where I wanted to be with my family, so I made that tough decision. By no means was it easy. I made it with the right intentions.”"

In 230 games with Buffalo, Gionta notched 40 goals and 63 assists. He has 289 goals over the course of his NHL career.

This is the second time Gionta will represent his country at the Olympics. He played in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin where he had four goals in six games, but hopefully the U.S. can get over some heartbreaking years.

The leader of Buffalo is now the leader of the United States, and supporters can only hope for the best from Gionta.