Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Flyers win series

Rich Hofmann’s blog has the latest news on the Philadelphia Eagles

114 comments

Flyers win series

POSTED: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2:56 PM
Claude Giroux checks Sidney Crosby just after the opening faceoff of Game 6. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

And a 24-year-old shall lead them.

Claude Giroux. Yes.

On the first shift of what turned out to be the clinching game of the Flyers-Penguins series, this is what the Flyers’ best player did. He leveled Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the first 5 seconds of the game. He scored a goal at 32 seconds. And as a kind-of-nervous Wells Fargo Center erupted in celebration, turned his own celebration into an exhortation.

“Let’s go,” he yelled, to the players near him and the thousands surrounding him in a big, orange embrace. “Let’s go.”

And so, they did.

Capping off one of the most productive playoff series by a Flyers player with that goal and another assist -- giving him six goals and eight assists for the series -- Giroux led the Flyers to a 5-1 win over the Penguins. After taking the first three games of the series, and then sweating through the next two, it was Giroux who made the final afternoon his. And while we still do not know yet what team the Flyers will be playing in the second round, this remains an emphatic statement by a young, rebuilt team -- and by its unquestioned leader.

It would be unfair to label this as Giroux’s emergence in the post-season. The truth is, that happened 2 years ago when Giroux scored 10 goals and had 11 assists in 23 games as the Flyers marched to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Chicago. But this has been somehow different, better.

The start of that game will not soon be forgotten, not can it be understated. On some level, the Flyers themselves had to be as nervous as the crowd seemed to be. This is a young team, after all, and to see a 3-0 lead in the series shrink to 3-2 had to be at least a little bit unnerving. A bad start would have just fed into whatever bad thoughts were already in place.

But Giroux made sure that did not happen.

With that, on to wherever.

114 comments
Comments  (114)
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:00 PM, 04/22/2012
    GO FLYERS!!! Where are the Pens trolls now? Crying in their beers Im sure.
    mech820
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:17 PM, 04/22/2012
    mech820: LOL Right on, bro!!

    Remember tiny Tommy's usual prediction:
    BigTomRules Posted 11:05 AM 04/11/2012
    That’s funny. Flyers lose in 5.

    Plus the other high class Pittsburgh posters:

    — F_The_flyers Posted Posted 10:17 AM, 04/10/2012
    Pens in 5 scumbags...

    — pgh66 • Posted 10:03 AM, 04/11/2012
    Penguins in 5

    — Sidney Crosby Posted 8:39 AM, 04/10/2012
    Lots of flyers and coaches trash talking the kid. Haven't you learned that this is
    fuel to the fire? Pens in 5.

    — MidgeLavinsthighs Posted 3:44 PM, 04/12/2012
    You Flyers fans are a joke. The Pens are stronger, faster, and more talented than the the Flyers. That's why they get more PP chances. The Flyers are slow and can't keep up. Pens in 5. Flyers won't sniff another win.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:50 PM, 04/22/2012
    Missed a few more trolls who are now back under their rock: sixtimessuperbowlchamps, NoCup1975, and Whatwhiners are now crying in their beer.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:12 PM, 04/22/2012
    More like their Zima...Nocup is probably crying into his Neal jersey right now.
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:47 PM, 04/22/2012

    Will beats Skill. Nuff said
    dri_as_a_bone
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:19 AM, 04/23/2012
    This is awesome! Thanks FlyerFan4Life.
    georgenhofer
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:05 PM, 04/22/2012
    A masterpiece performance.
    brio
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:05 PM, 04/22/2012
    Way to go Flyers!!!! Excellent shutdown game today.
    Daddio
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:06 PM, 04/22/2012
    Ba-Bye Cindy and Geni, stay classy and enjoy the golf this late spring...
    BirdinParadise
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:09 PM, 04/22/2012
    Monday morning will be so much easier now. Go Flyers!
    Go Flyers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:09 PM, 04/22/2012
    Now we just need the Bruins and Rangers to lose today and tomorrow. Then the Stanley Cup should be coming back to Philadelphia!
    Mr_Cool
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:10 PM, 04/22/2012
    Congrats to the Flyers, nice to have beaten the labias from Pittsburgh
    BirdinParadise
  • Comment removed.


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About this blog
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com Reach Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com.

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