It’s no secret to anyone who follows the Flyers on a regular basis, that Claude Giroux is a vital part to the teams overall success. As Giroux goes, so do the orange and black. Giroux is the engine that runs the Flyers. Last year the Captain had another solid campaign. Even with that, he still thinks he can be better, “I think everyone is on the same level, everyone liked good out there. Of course, we all can be better,” Giroux said to me in September.
Of course, he will tell you he has to be better. Giroux wears his heart on his sleeve and always has been a team-first guy. With the youth infusion injecting life into some veterans in the locker room, Giroux seems ready for this team to take the next step, carrying a belief in himself and the infusion of youth around him, “Farabee looks like a player. He looks pretty solid,” Giroux said last month.
Giroux is injecting the locker room with belief, after missing the playoffs last season. Fresh off being a new dad, Giroux is ready to have this team compete on a nightly basis this season. Multiple players in the locker room are feeding off Giroux, with the likes of Sean Couturier, Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Ivan Provorov, “It’s obviously disappointing the way we ended the season,” Giroux said last month, “We are playing with a great pace out there.”
The 31-year-old in Giroux is a new rad-bad dad. Gavin Giroux is being raised by a great hockey player, but more importantly a family man. He is always kind to others on and off the ice, but Giroux is really helping the youth this season. Giroux has this team rocking and rolling at the moment, as the orange and black head into the Thanksgiving holiday with a record of 13-7-5, unbelievable right? For the season, Giroux has tallied 8 goals, and has registered 10 assists in 25 games played. Check out the Captain’s latest laser:
Make no mistake about it, Giroux seems poised to surpass his career-high in points from a few seasons ago. Last season, he tallied 22 goals and 63 assists for 85 points. From the way he has looked in training camp, there’s not a doubt in my mind Giroux can surpass last years totals. He looks more composed, stronger, and faster than last year. Giroux was one of the fastest skaters last night, and that cannot be taken with a grain of salt.
With Giroux feeding off of the youth, this young Flyers team is poised to make some waves in April and beyond. If Giroux continues to razzle and Dazzle, then the orange and black could be a lethal team this year.
Thank you Claude, we are blessed to have you as a member of a great hockey town.
Photo Credit: Zack Hill
