APPEARANCES BY GIONTA, LEGGIO HEADLINE AMERKS OLYMPIC NIGHT ON FRIDAY, FEB. 6
Pair were teammates on U.S. men’s national team at 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang
Jan 28, 2026The Rochester Americans are hosting Olympic Night presented by J.W. Danforth supporting the American Heart Association as a prelude to the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Friday, Feb. 6 when they welcome the Springfield Thunderbirds to Blue Cross Arena for the only time this season.
In addition to Olympic-friendly contests and other in-game promotions throughout the night, the night will feature appearances from former Amerks Brian Gionta and David Leggio, who were teammates on the men’s national team at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Gionta will meet fans and sign autographs during the first intermission, while Leggio will be available in the second.
The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a replica of the 2018 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team photo, featuring both Gionta and Leggio, courtesy of The UPS Store.
Gionta appeared in 1,026 National Hockey League games with the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils over a 16-year professional career in which he recorded 595 points (291+304) and 377 penalty minutes. He also compiled 68 points (32+36) over 113 career playoff appearances and was a member of the 2003 Stanley Cup-winning Devils.
Gionta served as team captain in each of his last seven seasons, including his final three in Buffalo. He totaled 103 points (40+63) in 230 career games with the Sabres from 2014-17, appearing in his 1,000th NHL game during the 2016-17 campaign.
In addition to more than 1,000 games at the NHL level, Gionta appeared in 53 career American Hockey League contests, including one with the Amerks during the 2017-18 season when he became the first Rochester native to a score a goal in his Amerks debut.
Internationally, Gionta has represented the United States on several occasions, including four straight years at the annual IIHF World Championship. He’s also a two-time Olympian, most recently serving as captain of Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Gionta played collegiately at Boston College, where he was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year for the 1997-98 season before earning Hockey East Player of the Year honors in 2000-01 while captaining the Eagles to an NCAA National Championship.
Originally a third-round pick (82nd overall) of the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Draft, Gionta currently serves as the associate head coach of the Jr. Amerks, who are in third season in the North American Hockey League.
Leggio was a fan-favorite during his two seasons (2011-12, 2012-13) with the Amerks, appearing in 118 games and finishing with a 66-48-11 record and six career shutouts to go along with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He was also a two-time team MVP and named the team’s Most Popular Player while leading the team to back-to-back playoff appearances.
After leading the American Hockey League in wins, saves and minutes played during the 2011-12 season, Leggio followed up with a banner year in 2012-13, setting new AHL career-highs in all goaltending categories, including goals-against average (2.56), save percentage (.924), wins (38), saves (1,957), shutouts (4), minutes (3,800) and games played (64) and led all AHL netminders with a 9-1 shootout record. He also challenged the AHL record for saves in a season (2,005), coming up 48 saves shy, while also being named the league’s top goaltender for the month of March.
In addition to being one of three netminders named to the 2018 U.S Olympic team, Leggio also represented Team USA in two IIHF Men's World Championships (2010, 2014) as well as two Deutschland Cups (2009, 2017).
Prior to turning pro, the Williamsville native established himself as one of the best goaltenders in Clarkson University’s illustrious history, playing for the Golden Knights from 2004-08. He played a key role in the Green and Gold resurgence, which lifted the Clarkson Hockey program back among the nation's elite.
The undrafted Leggio helped the Golden Knights compile 78 victories from 2004-2008, two back-to-back 20-win campaigns (2006-07, 2007-08) for the first time in 10 seasons, an ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship (2007) and a conference regular season title (2008) along with making two consecutive showings in the NCAA Tournament (2007, 2008) for the first time since the late 1990s.
Leggio capped off his collegiate career by backstopping the Knights to one of the most successful seasons in the program's 86-year history in 2007-08 with a 22-13-4 overall record, a first-place 15-4-3 ECAC Hockey mark and Clarkson's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1996. He posted the fourth-most wins at Clarkson with a 59-29-12 career record, including eight shutouts. Leggio completed his collegiate career with a .922 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average.