As a youth, Gorges played in the 1998
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a
minor ice hockey team from
Kelowna. Gorges played
major junior for his hometown
Kelowna Rockets of the
Western Hockey League (WHL) from
2000 through
2004. After going undrafted in
2002, he signed as a
free agent with the
San Jose Sharks. Gorges was named Team WHL captain for the
2003 RE/MAX Canada–Russia Challenge. He was also a member of Team Canada at the
2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he won a silver medal. In
2004, the Rockets (with Gorges as team captain) won the
Memorial Cup. During the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Gorges played for the Sharks'
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Cleveland Barons. He made his debut for the Sharks during the
2005-06 season, skating in 49 games. in
2006. On February 25, 2007, Gorges and a
2007 first-round pick were traded to the
Montreal Canadiens in exchange for
Craig Rivet and a
2008 fifth-round pick. On July 9, 2008, the Canadiens signed Gorges to a three-year, $3.3 million contract extension. On February 10, 2010, during a game against the
Washington Capitals, Gorges was hit on the left side of the head by a slap shot from
Mike Green. Gorges remained motionless on the ice for several minutes, with his head bleeding. He eventually was helped up by team doctors and helped to the bench. The Canadiens eventually won the game 6–5 in
OT to end the Capitals 14-game win streak. Gorges skated in practice the next day and was quoted as saying "Unless something happens in the next 24 hours, I’ll be in the lineup against the Flyers." Gorges was widely praised for his performances in the
2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with
Don Cherry declaring "Josh Gorges should be captain of the Canadiens, there’s no doubt in my mind. He’s a captain’s captain. This isn’t in any way to say that Brian Gionta is bad, it’s only to say that Gorges is so good. He’s exceptional. And I think Brian would be happy to have a little pressure taken off him so he could just play the game. Look up the word ‘leader’ in the dictionary, and you’ll find Gorges’s picture." On July 22, 2011, the Canadiens re-signed Gorges to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension. in May 2010. On January 1, 2012, Gorges signed a six-year, $23.4 million contract extension with the Canadiens. On July 1, 2014, Gorges was traded to the
Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the
Minnesota Wild's
2016 second-round pick. He refused to waive his no-trade clause to be traded to the Canadiens'
rival, the
Toronto Maple Leafs. Upon concluding his contract with the Sabres following the
2017–18 season, Gorges remained an un-signed free agent over the summer and into the
2018–19 season. On January 14, 2019, Gorges announced his retirement from his 13 season NHL career. ==Post-hockey career==