Claude Giroux

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the wrestler of the same name, see Claude Giroux (wrestler).
Claude Giroux
Claude giroux.jpg
Born (1988-01-12) January 12, 1988 (age 26)
Hearst, ON, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Centre / Right Wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Philadelphia Flyers
Eisbären Berlin (DEL)
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 22nd overall, 2006
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2007–present
Website claudegiroux28.com

Claude Dari Giroux (French pronunciation: ​[klod ʒiʁu]; born January 12, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers selected Giroux 22nd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Prior to playing in the NHL, Giroux played his major junior career with the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he helped win a 2008 President's Cup and earned the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the 2008 playoff MVP. Internationally, he won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Giroux made his debut with the Flyers in February 2008 and joined the roster full-time midway through the 2008–09 season.[1][2] In 2011, after the blockbuster trades of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, Giroux took over the role of the club's first line centre. Giroux was the club's top point-scorer in both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. In 2012, Giroux finished third in the league in point-scoring.[3] He was named the captain of the Flyers at the start of the 2012–13 season.

Playing career[edit]

Minor hockey[edit]

Giroux grew up playing hockey in his hometown of Hearst, Ontario, and played Bantam A for the Hearst Lumber Kings (NOHA) in the 2001–02 season. He and his family moved to Orléans, Ontario in the summer of 2002.[4] In Orléans, Giroux played Major Bantam AA and Minor Midget AA for the Cumberland Barons, and was the club's leading scorer in the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons.[4] Eligible for the 2004 OHL draft, Giroux entered but was undrafted.[5] In the 2004–2005 season, Giroux played for the Cumberland Grads. Despite missing most of the season after contracting mononucleosis, Giroux scored 40 points in 48 games and was named CJHL's Rookie of the Year.[4] However, Giroux went undrafted once again at the 2005 OHL Draft.[4]

Junior career[edit]

Giroux playing for Gatineau in 2007.

A free agent, Giroux was invited to Gatineau Olympiques training camp for a walk-on tryout.[4] He was signed shortly after. During his rookie season with the Olympiques, Giroux scored 39 goals for a total of 103 points in 69 games and was named QMJHL's Rookie of the Year.[4] He entered the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and was selected 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers (rather embarrassingly, then-Flyers GM Bobby Clarke forgot Giroux's name at the podium before making the selection[6]). The Flyers signed Giroux to an entry level contract on July 23, 2007.[7]

Giroux made his NHL debut when the Flyers visited the Ottawa Senators on February 19, 2008, recording no points and being the team's first shooter in the shootout.[1] Sent back down to the Olympiques, he helped the club win the QMJHL Playoffs and earned himself the Guy Lafleur Trophy as MVP in the QMJHL Playoffs by scoring 17 goals and 34 assists in 19 playoff games, also setting a franchise record.[8]

Professional career[edit]

2008–2009[edit]

After a disappointing training camp for the Flyers at the beginning of the 2008–09 season, he was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. However, after getting used to professional hockey, things turned around quickly. He was named Rookie of the Month for December for his 8 goals and 6 assists in 8 games played. He was called up to the Flyers after the Christmas break and remained there throughout the rest of the season.[2] On December 31, he recorded his first NHL point by assisting on a Jeff Carter goal in a win over the Vancouver Canucks. He suffered a mild concussion during the next game when Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks elbowed him in the head. Giroux finished the game but missed the next five; Perry was suspended for four games.

On January 27, 2009, Giroux scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Tomáš Vokoun and the Florida Panthers in a 3–2 loss. His first playoff goal came in a 6–3 win in game three of the 2009 Eastern Conference quarter-finals against Marc-André Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The same game also saw him setting up a short-handed goal when he stole the puck in the corner of the Penguins zone and outworked their backcheck, skating past the back of their net twice protecting the puck while looking for incoming support in the form of Simon Gagné. Giroux ended the 2008–2009 season with 9 goals and 27 points in 42 games played.[2]

2009–2010[edit]

The Flyers were an inconsistent team for the bulk of the 2009–10 season, which affected all of their players. Giroux spent a large amount of time centring James van Riemsdyk, the highly touted rookie winger that the Flyers had drafted No. 2 overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. However, the Flyers' fortunes soon turned dramatically: they qualified for the playoffs on Giroux's game-winner in a shootout against the New York Rangers. Giroux was a major point producer in a first round of the playoffs, dismantling the second seeded New Jersey Devils. The Flyers made an historic comeback from 3 games to 0 down against the Boston Bruins to win the next four and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they dominated the Montreal Canadiens. Giroux scored the winning goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, but despite his continued production, the Flyers eventually lost in overtime in Game 6 of the finals. Giroux ended the post-season with 21 playoff points, cementing his reputation as an outstanding young talent.

2010–2011[edit]

A month into the 2010–11 season, the Flyers signed Giroux to a three-year, $11.25 million contract extension. The contract, which was signed on November 8, 2010, will account for a $3.75 million cap hit annually.[9] On January 11, 2011, Giroux was named to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game roster. Giroux finished his breakout season with 25 goals and 51 assists in 82 games and scored a goal and 11 assists in 11 playoff games, in which the Flyers defeated the Sabres and were defeated by the Bruins. Giroux played his 200th career game on March 26, 2011, against the New York Islanders.

2011–2012[edit]

Giroux during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the Flyers traded away Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in the 2011 off-season, Giroux took over the role as first line centre for the club. The trading of Richards and Carter also made him the second longest tenured member of the Flyers. Giroux formed a new top line with Scott Hartnell and free agent acquisition Jaromir Jagr. Giroux dominated the league in point-scoring for much of the season, and was handled as a favorite for the Hart Trophy for league MVP early at the season's All-Star break.[10] However, he finished the season a distant 16 points behind eventual MVP Evgeni Malkin. On April 13, 2012, Giroux recorded his first career hat trick during game two of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[11] He recorded six points during that same game, earning a Flyers record for most points during a single Stanley Cup Playoffs game.[11] On May 7, 2012, Giroux received a one game suspension for a hit to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Dainius Zubrus during game four of a second round playoff series.[12] After the Flyers were eliminated by the Devils, Giroux ended the season as both the Flyers' top regular season point-scorer (93 points) and top playoff point scorer (17 points).[2] After the Flyers' elimination, Giroux had surgery on both of his wrists; the right to repair torn cartilage and the left to remove bone spurs.[13] He later claimed that Sidney Crosby had repeatedly slashed his wrists during face-offs in the first round series against Pittsburgh.[14] At the time news of the surgery was revealed, Giroux was still the playoffs' leading point scorer, even though his team had been eliminated two weeks earlier. On June 20, 2012, Giroux was named the cover athlete for NHL 13 at the NHL awards in Las Vegas; he became the first Philadelphia Flyer on an EA Sports NHL video game cover since Eric Lindros on NHL 99.[15][16]

2012–2013[edit]

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Giroux and former Flyers teammate Danny Briere played for Eisbären Berlin of the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[17] In his ninth game in Germany he suffered a neck and shoulder injury that was initially feared to be a concussion.[18] He returned to North America and remained inactive through the remainder of the lockout. After the lockout ended, Giroux was named the 19th team captain in Flyers history on January 15, 2013, taking over for the injured Chris Pronger.[19]

Giroux got off to a slow start once the shortened 2012–13 season began. Without last year's linemates Jagr, who signed with the Dallas Stars during free agency, and Hartnell, who suffered a broken foot during the third game of the season, Giroux registered only seven points through the team's first 13 games.[20] His season turned around once right winger Jakub Voracek, who was also struggling, was placed on his line.[20] From February 12 through the end of the regular season, Giroux was the fourth most productive player in the league, scoring 10 goals and 30 assists for a total of 40 points during that span.[20] He finished with 48 points in 48 games and new linemate Voracek finished with a career high 22 goals. The team as a whole struggled, however, and the Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2006–07 season.

On July 5, 2013, Giroux signed an eight-year, $66.2 million contract extension to stay in Philadelphia.[21]

International play[edit]

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for  Canada
World Junior Championships
Gold 2008 Czech Republic

Giroux competed with Team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in 2008. He scored two goals and four assists in seven games to help Canada win its fourth consecutive WJC. He competed with Team Canada in the IIHF World Championship in April 2013. He scored three goals and five assists in eight games.

Personal life[edit]

Giroux was born on January 12, 1988, in Hearst, Ontario to Raymond and Nicole Giroux.[22] He has one sister, Isabelle.[22] He attended Béatrice-Desloges High School in Orléans, Ontario.[23] His nickname is G.[24]

During the 2010–2011 season, Giroux lived with teammate Danny Brière and Brière's three sons in their Haddonfield, New Jersey home.[25] In 2011, Giroux moved out and into an apartment with teammate Brayden Schenn.[26]

Awards and honors[edit]

QMJHL[edit]

  • Played in the 2005–06 CHL Top Prospects Game
  • QMJHL Rookie of the Month – December 2005 and March 2006
  • 2005–06 QMJHL All-Rookie Team
  • QMJHL Offensive Player of the Month – September 2006
  • 2008 President's Cup (QMJHL playoff champion) with Gatineau Olympiques
  • 2008 Guy Lafleur Trophy (QMJHL playoff MVP)
  • 2007–08 QMJHL First All-Star Team
  • 2007–08 Canadian Major Junior First All-Star Team

AHL[edit]

  • AHL Rookie of the Month December 2008

NHL[edit]

Other[edit]

  • 2012 recipient of the John Wannamaker Athletic Award, an award presented by the Philadelphia Sports Congress (PSC), in recognition of his contributions to the Flyers during the 2011–12 season
  • Voted in as the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 13 video game

Records[edit]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
2003–04 Cumberland Barons ODMHA 39 31 28 59 — 28 — — — — — —
2004–05 Cumberland Grads CJHL 48 13 27 40 — 30 — — — — — —
2005–06 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 69 39 64 103 30 64 17 5 15 20 −3 24
2006–07 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 63 48 64 112 12 49 5 2 5 7 0 2
2006–07 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 5 1 1 2 −2 6 — — — — — —
2007–08 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 55 38 68 106 40 37 19 17 34 51 33 6
2007–08 Gatineau Olympiques M-Cup — — — — — — 3 1 1 2 0 2
2007–08 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 0 0 −2 0 — — — — — —
2008–09 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 33 17 17 34 5 22 — — — — — —
2008–09 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 42 9 18 27 10 14 6 2 3 5 2 6
2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 16 31 47 −9 23 23 10 11 21 7 4
2010–11 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 25 51 76 20 47 11 1 11 12 2 8
2011–12 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 28 65 93 6 29 10 8 9 17 2 13
2012–13 Eisbären Berlin DEL 9 4 15 19 7 6 — — — — — —
2012–13 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 48 13 35 48 −7 22 — — — — — —
NHL totals 333 91 200 291 18 135 50 21 34 55 13 31
AHL totals 38 18 18 36 3 28 — — — — — —
QMJHL totals 187 125 196 321 82 150 41 24 54 78 30 32

International[edit]

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts +/- PIM
2008 Canada WJC Gold medal icon.svg 7 2 4 6 4 8
2013 Canada WC 8 3 5 8 4 12
Junior int'l totals 7 2 4 6 4 8
Senior int'l totals 8 3 5 8 4 12

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kevin Kurz (2008-02-19). "Flyers Battle Back, Lose in Shootout". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved 2012-02-12. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Claude Giroux: Player Profile". Philadelphia Flyers. 
  3. ^ "Giroux, Flyers Eliminate Penguins". Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2012. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sherwin, Fred (April 24, 2012). "Former Cumberland Baron has record breaking performance in firs round of playoffs". Orléans Online. 
  5. ^ "Go-To Guy Just Keeps Going". The Ottawa Citizen. May 15, 2008. 
  6. ^ http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2012/02/whats-his-name-its-claude-giroux.html
  7. ^ "Flyers Sign Right Wing Claude Giroux". Philadelphia Flyers. 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2012-02-12. 
  8. ^ Gormley, Chuck (2008-05-12). "Don't overlook Penguins' defense". Courier Post Online. Retrieved 2008-05-13. [dead link]
  9. ^ "Flyers sign Giroux to 3-year, $11.25 million extension". The Sports Network. 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
  10. ^ "First quarter has Flyers' Giroux atop MVP race". NHL.com. 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2011-11-25. 
  11. ^ a b c Wyshynsky, Greg (April 13, 2012). "Claude Giroux Sets Playoffs Points Record". Yahoo! Sports. 
  12. ^ Berman, Zack (May 7, 2012). "Flyers' Giroux Suspended for Hit to the Head". The New York Times. 
  13. ^ Claude Giroux surgery on both wrists
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "NHL 13 cover winner". EA Sports. 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2012-06-21. 
  16. ^ Van Vibber, Ryan (2012-06-20). "Flyers C Claude Giroux Will Grace The NHL 13 Cover". Retrieved 2012-06-21. 
  17. ^ TSN. "GIROUX, BRIERE SIGN WITH BERLIN OF GERMAN ELITE LEAGUE". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 05/10/2012. 
  18. ^ [2]
  19. ^ "Claude Giroux named Captain of the Flyers". Philadelphia Flyers. January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013. 
  20. ^ a b c Anthony SanFilippo (May 3, 2013). "Flyers Post Mortem Part 5: Was Claude Giroux the real team MVP?". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved May 3, 2013. 
  21. ^ "Flyers sign Giroux to eight-year contract extension". Philadelphia Flyers. July 5, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013. 
  22. ^ a b "Golden Boy". The Ottawa Citizen. 6 January 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2011. 
  23. ^ Campbell, Barre. "Giroux Proves Critics Wrong". The Ottawa Sun. 
  24. ^ "10 Lesser Known Facts About: Claude Giroux". Hockey Family Advisor. Retrieved 2014-01-09. 
  25. ^ Carchidi, Sam (January 30, 2011). "For Flyers' Giroux and Briere, All-Star Game is a Family Affair". Philadelphia Inquirer. 
  26. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J (April 22, 2012). "Claude Giroux Leads Philadelphia Flyers Past the Penguins and into Round 2". Yahoo! Sports. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claude Giroux.
Preceded by
Steve Downie		 Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
2006		 Succeeded by
James van Riemsdyk
Preceded by
Chris Pronger		 Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
2011, 2012		 Succeeded by
Jakub Voracek
Preceded by
Steven Stamkos		 EA Sports NHL Cover Athlete
NHL 13		 Succeeded by
Martin Brodeur
Preceded by
Chris Pronger		 Philadelphia Flyers captain
2013–present		 Incumbent
Pacific
Central
Atlantic
Metropolitan
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claude_Giroux&oldid=596530900"