Giroux would be honored by 'C'
Daily News Flyers blog
Giroux would be honored by 'C'
On his 10-hour ride from Ottawa back to Philadelphia, Claude Giroux had plenty of time to think by himself.
“It was actually a pretty lonely ride,” Giroux said. “I just listened to a bunch of music.”
The possibility of being named the 19th captain over the next week wasn’t at the front of his mind.
“It’s a big responsibility, obviously, but it’s an honor at the same time,” Giroux said after his first practice back at the Flyers’ facility. “Whatever decision they make, I don’t think it will make a difference on how we play or things in the (dressing) room.
“I’m still going to be the same player on or off the ice. A ‘C’ or no letter, it’s how you play and it’s how the players in the room look at you.”
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said on Monday’s “Daily News Live” that he would discuss a possible replacement for injured defenseman Chris Pronger with coach Peter Laviolette sometime in the near future.
Pronger was named the 18th captain in team history on September 16, 2011. He sustained what appears to be a career-ending injury less than 2 months later and the Flyers played the remainder of the season - from Dec. 15 to May 8 - without a captain.
The Flyers have only played one season in team history without a captain, back in 1992-93, when the team finished 9th in the Wales Conference.
The Flyers have gone through 6 captains (Keith Primeau, Derian Hatcher, Peter Forsberg, Jason Smith, Mike Richards and Pronger) since 2006 alone. Twelve wore the ‘C’ for the Flyers in the previous 34 years.
Giroux turns 25 on Saturday, which could mark the opening of training camp. Richards was named the Flyers’ captain on Sept. 17, 2008, at the age of 23.
Giroux is young, but he is already the face of the Flyers’ franchise. He was already an alternate captain last season. Many critics believe handing Richards the captaincy added undue pressure to a burgeoning career, since John Stevens bypassed former captains Kimmo Timonen and Danny Briere along the way.
“Mike was a great captain,” Giroux said. “When I came in, he wasn’t a guy who talked a lot, but when he did, everybody listened. He would do most of his leadership on the ice.
“In one shift, he’d be saying a big speech, pretty much (without talking). He was impressive to watch.”
Laviolette wouldn’t have to make much of a case for Giroux, simply pointing toward his Game 6 shift against the Penguins in the first round of last spring’s playoffs. Giroux memorably pummeled Sidney Crosby, stole the puck and scored 32 seconds into the game.
“I don’t look at (that shift as a case for captaincy) at all,” Giroux said. “I wanted to have a good start. It just happened.”
Maybe, the fact that it “just happened” - without any hoopla - is the point. Giroux simply took it upon himself to do what was needed, lead the Flyers to a 5-1 win, ending Pittsburgh's season in a game in which they could have forced Game 7.
“If you’re comfortable enough to speak in the room, I don’t think you need a letter on your jersey to do that,” Giroux said. “Any time you get a chance to have that responsibility, it means they have a lot of confidence in your will to win and to help the team get better.”
Read more in Wednesday’s Daily News.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god- Speaking of a whimp playing patty cakes, watch Super Marty choke for 2 goals in 90 seconds to send the Devs out of the playoffs and to the golf course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wetkgb54G7Y
- FlyerFan4Life, you know I love your passion, and barrage of pertinent YouTube clips....but perhaps this isn't the appropriate time to start trash talking Brodeur fans. As old, and fat as that elderly gentleman is, he still knocked the Flyers out of the playoffs last year.
On an unrelated note....Brayden Schenn had one of the worst plus/minus in the AHL. That guy is a star! Be honest, you missed me!— Hexy4GM - And the Flyers knocked Super Marty out of the playoffs in 2010 and in 2005. Five games both times, Brodeur was clearly outplayed by both Robert Esche and Brian Boucher.
- I live and die by the Flyers. I hate the Devils, and everything they did to the game of hockey, more than just about anything in the world. Only thing worse than the Devils style, is watching FlyerFan4Life try and argue hockey.
Brodeur may be old and fat now, but his record(s) speak for themselves:
3 Stanley Cups
Most regular season wins: 656
Most regular season shutouts: 119
Most playoff shutouts: 24
Most shutouts, regular season & playoffs combined: 143
Most overtime wins: 45
Most 40-win seasons: 8
Most 30-win seasons: 14
Most consecutive 40-win seasons: 3 (tied with Evgeni Nabokov)
Most consecutive 35-win seasons: 11
Most consecutive 30-win seasons: 12
Youngest goalie to reach 300, 400 and 500 career wins
Only goalie to reach 600 career wins
Most career saves: 27,312
Most games played by an NHL goaltender: 1,191 (also most played with only one team)
Most total minutes played by an NHL goaltender: 70,028
Only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal
Most career goals by a goaltender, including playoffs: 2 (tied with Ron Hextall)
Most wins in a single season (48, in 2006–07)
Most shutouts in a playoff campaign (7, in 2003)
Most shutouts in a Stanley Cup final (3, in 2003; tied with Frank McCool)
Third goaltender to win the Stanley Cup with a Game 7 shutout in 2003.
First goaltender in history to have 3 shutouts in two different playoff series
Most points and assists in a playoff campaign (4 assists, in 2012).
Know when you lost a debate FlyerFan4Life. Go back to telling me how great Bobrovsky is.— Hexy4GM - Crosby can polishes my bishop.— edith bunker
- He must want to be traded or released or injured.— Phillies2008WSChamps
- Give him the C, or don't...it means nothing to the organization anymore. They stopped caring about the significance of the C the day they tore it from Lindros' sweater. Sorry to anyone who is a huge fan of the legendary Jason Smith.— Hexy4GM
- no brainer— Earl J
- This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
- Yes, good ol "Uncle Daddy." Wiki that loser's personal life and you'll see how full of CLASS he is. Hahaha his poor kids from his first marriage are now his nieces and nephews lmfao all of his earnings should go right to their therapist. — boom dynamite
- Devils' fans can "take on a man." The like to do it behind closed doors....ROTFL
Here's a special bonus for you:
1998 Devs and Super Marty are the number one seed but suffer a humiliating elimination in the first round by 8th seed Ottawa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9I_pIZ5pfk - This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
- ROTFL Watch Super Marty in action as he distinguishes himself by becoming the only goalie in NHL history to surrender 3 goals on a 5 minute power play in the Stanley Cup finals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ra6Gf7_EAs - This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
