Giroux would be honored by 'C'
Up to the minute Philadelphia sports news, Phillies, 76ers, Eagles, Flyers, college sports and more from Philly.com
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
Mike Richards was honestly never the same guy after Scottie Upshall got traded. It was like he was ANGRY all the time. I get it: Some people don't like the media. But he just seemed so miserable here, like the business side of hockey, combined with the heat that comes with playing in Philadelphia, was just such an annoyance to him. Then, when John Stevens got fired, he was just mad at the world. You could just see it.
The Flyers did themselves and Richards a favor by trading him. He was a a good player, and the Flyers made a good deal. But Paul Holmgren did the right thing by trading him before that no-trade clause kicked in -- man. I can't recall the last time I saw an athlete as miserable in Philadelphia -- maybe Pat Burrell?— FlyerBacker88- Maybe what Richards didn't like was the tabloid-style gossip-gotcha style of Philly sports reporters, and maybe he just wanted to play hockey instead of being required to kiss the rings of the Philly media. Go look at some of Pronger's pressers. Pronger held the media is exactly the same disdain, but he called them out on it publicly and toyed with them, and they enjoyed it because they were too dumb to see he was playing them for the fools they were. Richards just handled it differently: with disgust, and walking away as quickly and with as few words as possible, just like most people would when confronted with the nonsense that passes for the majority of sports "journalism" in this city.
The nonsensical questions Richards had to endure day in and day out would have made the vast majority of people miserable. And yet, he was STILL stunned and upset when he was traded. That fact, coupled with his play on the ice, tells me more about him -and Jeff Carter, for that matter - than the silly Philly media ever could. - Richie was really immature. He refused to talk to the media because they were saying things about his party life that were "untrue."
Check out these pics and decide if they were true:
http://mobilwi.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a6dde087970b014e8a1e95f2970d-800wi
http://cdn.25stanley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/flyers-frat-party.jpg - HOF, those are some great pictures. If the Philly media had just kept their jobs professional, perhaps there would have been a pic like this one, one day.
http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297272615627_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x
Instead, they referenced blogs and reported garbage regarding peoples marriages and personal lives.— Hexy4GM - Giroux's time will come, no need to rush it. Give it to Kimmo, it might be his last year here anyway.— Stephen45
- The most overrated most overtalked about thing in hockey except when it comes to the Flyers where the "C" is cursed.— Sidewinder7
- Funny. "G" is only known for one lucky shift on the ice.
I guess his wrists are now healed? How's the head? I mean neck?— Sidney Crosby - Cindy is known for crying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCZJTv4boVg&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Cindy is also known for diving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9qTFhRsnvY
Cindy is also known for cursing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeMafj2tjfU&feature=related
Cindy is also known for playoff choking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOuScHlO32o - Sidney is known for his incredible wrists within the Penguins dressing room. There certainly isn't any luck involved there
- I'd give the "C" to Kimmo. The guy is a stud & has been around the block a few times & has a great attitude. No knock on G - but let him play without the pressure for a few more years and his day will come.— bigdaddyG
- I hate Crosby— wlgj
- They want to give it to a franchise player not to a guy that is near the end of his career. I agree and would rather have a seasoned veteran take the "C." Someone who is not afraid to tell his team they are playing like sh*t! G seems to want this. Be careful what you wish for, G.— chase26TJ
- Crosby is gay.— athousandgods
- This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
- "classless people to be your captain" LOL That sounds like former Devils' captain Zach Parise who left his team so he could get more money in Minnesota. But that was only part of the story,
the rest is that Parise got tired of watching Super Marty choke.
Is there any truth to the rumor that Brodeur went to the "Scooter Store" so he could ge a mobility consultation?
