On Thursday, March 17, 2022, Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux is slated to play his 1,000th regular season game. He will join franchise icon Bobby Clarke as one of only two players in team history to reach that coveted milestone entirely with the Flyers.
28 Memorable Giroux Moments
On Thursday, March 17, 2022, Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux is slated to play his 1,000th regular season game.
As the milestone game approaches, here's a look at 28 memorable moments for Giroux during his Flyers career. We'll go in reverse chronological order, from the most recent to the first.
1) February 5, 2022: Playing in his seventh NHL All-Star Game, Giroux notched three goals and won MVP honors. Team Metro Division won the four-team 3-on-3 tournament.
2) Dec. 29, 2021: Giroux's assist on a James van Riemsdyk power play goal moved him ahead of Hockey Hall of Fame left wing Bill Barber (884 points) into sole possession of second place on the Flyers' all-time point scoring list. Clarke is the all-time franchise leader with 1,210 points.
3) Dec. 10, 2021: Giroux recorded an assist on a Sean Couturier power play goal to record the 334th power play point of his career; moving Giroux past Clarke for sole possession of the all-time franchise lead in that category.
4) April 25, 2021: Two late goals by Giroux in an eventual 4-3 shootout home win against the New Jersey Devils put him in a tie -- and then in sole possession -- of third in the Flyers' all-time point list. Giroux surpassed Flyers Hall of Famer Brian Propp (849 career points) on the franchise's all-time list.Giroux also tallied a shootout goal, which does not count in individual totals.
5) Jan. 27. 2021: Giroux became the Flyers' longest-tenured captain in franchise history. At the time, it was his 611th game as captain. Bobby Clarke, who had two stints as Flyers captain with a stretch as a playing assistant coach in between, served as captain for 610 games during his first stint.
6) September 1, 2020: With the Flyers facing elimination in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Seminal against the New York Islanders, Giroux notched a first-period goal to knot the game at 1-1. Later, he assisted on Scott Laughton's overtime goal at 12:20 of sudden death to force a Game 6. The series ultimately went seven games before the Islanders' prevailed.
7) March 7, 2020: In the penultimate game before the pandemic-driven pause (and eventual cancellation of the remainder) of the 2019-20 regular season, Giroux notched a pair of goals in a 3-1 home win over the Buffalo Sabres. Over the final 21 games the Flyers played prior to the stoppage, Giroux compiled eight goals, 13 assists and 21 points.
8) Feb. 8, 2020: All eyes were on Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin heading into this game, as he was two goals away from reaching 700 for his career. However, the Flyers held Ovechkin off the scoresheet in this game and earned a 7-2 road blowout victory. Giroux notched a goal and two assists to reach 800 points in his NHL career.
9) Feb. 23, 2019: With a steady rain falling at Lincoln Financial Field, Giroux capped off a Flyers' comeback win at the Stadium Series. Giroux helped set up a James van Riemsdyk power play goal to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 3:04 remaining in regulation. After Jakub Voracek forced overtime with a goal in the final 20 seconds of regulation, Giroux won it for the Flyers with a five-hole tally at 1:59 of sudden death.
10) Jan. 26, 2019: Giroux participated in his sixth NHL All-Star Game. He collected a pair of assists as the Metro All-Stars won the 3-on-3 mini-tournament. For the NHL season, Giroux posted 85 points (22g, 63a) while dressing in all 82 games. The season marked the fifth time in Giroux's career that he recorded at least 50 assists and eighth time he scored 20 or more goals in a season.
11) April 7, 2018: To chants of "MVP! MVP! MVP!" from the Wells Fargo Center crowd, Giroux compiled a hat trick to clinch a playoff spot for the Flyers with a 5-0 shutout win over the New York Rangers. Giroux finished the season with career highs in goals (34) and points (102). He was on fire down the stretch, especially, with 18 points (8g, 10a) in the final 10 games. Unfortunately, Giroux only placed fourth in the Hart Trophy voting for the NHL's Most Valuable Player. The player did capture his fifth Barry Ashbee Trophy as Flyers' MVP.
12) Jan. 28, 2018: Giroux played in his fifth NHL All-Star Game. He scored one goal in Team Metro's 7-4 loss to Team Atlantic.
13) April 9, 2016: Playing through a hip/groin injury that required offseason surgery, Giroux set up a Wayne Simmonds goal and recorded seven shots on net in a 3-1 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers players dedicated the win -- which clinched a playoff spot -- to ailing franchise co-founder and longtime chairman Ed Snider, who passed away on April 11. Giroux won his fourth Bobby Clarke Trophy that season.
14) Jan. 31, 2016: Giroux appeared in his fourth NHL All-Star Game, and was the Flyers' lone representative.
15) Jan. 25, 2015: Giroux notched a goal and two assists in his third trip to the NHL All-Star Game.
16) April 29, 2014: With the Flyers trailing the New York Rangers, three games to two, in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, they needed a win on home ice to force a seventh game at Madison Square Garden. Giroux delivered a three-point performance (1g, 2a) to send the series back to New York. The Rangers won Game 7 by a 2-1 score. Giroux finished the series with six points.
17) April 12, 2014: Snubbed for the Olympics and the NHL All-Star Game, Giroux caught fire in the second half of the 2013-14 regular season. He capped off his run with a goal and two assists in a 4-3 road win against the Penguins as the Flyers nailed down a playoff spot despite a terrible start to the season. Over the final 21 games of the regular season, Giroux compiled nine goals, 19 assists and 28 points. He was named as a finalist for the Hart Trophy, finishing third in the voting. He also captured his third Bobby Clarke Trophy as the Flyers' Most Valuable Player.
18) Dec. 19, 2013: Giroux led an epic comeback for the Flyers against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flyers trailed 3-0 after two periods and 4-2 entering the final five minutes of regulation. Giroux almost single-handedly led the Flyers to victory as he racked up two goals and two assists in the third period including the tying and winning tallies. The Flyers prevailed in regulation, 5-4.
19) Nov. 9, 2013: After the Flyers started out the season with a 4-9-1 record and only 21 goals scored, the team had a breakout game at home against the Edmonton Oilers. Not only did Giroux finally get his elusive first goal of the season, he created a half-dozen other scoring chances in 23:59 of ice time. The Flyers won, 4-2. Starting with this game, the Flyers had a 38-20-9 record and scored at the second-highest rate in the NHL (3.15 GPG, topped only by Boston's 3.24) over the rest of the season.
20) Jan. 15, 2013: The Flyers named Giroux as the ninth captain in franchise history. He has worn the "C" ever since. That season, Kimmo Timonen served as associate captain, while Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere served as alternate captains
21) April 22, 2012 ("The Shift"): On the opening shift of Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Giroux rocked Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby with a heavy body check and later finished the shift by scoring the game's first goal. Giroux went on to add two assists in the game as the Flyers prevailed, 5-1, to wrap up the series. Giroux notched a whopping 14 points in the six-game series against the Flyers' archrivals, including a hat trick and three assists in Philly's 8-5 road win in Game 2.
22) Jan. 29, 2012: Giroux played in his second NHL All-Star Game. Giroux was one of three Flyers selected to the All-Star Game, along with regular Flyers linemate Scott Hartnell and defenseman Kimmo Timonen. For the season, which marked the second time Giroux won the Bobby Clarke Trophy, Giroux compiled 93 points. The legendary Jaromir Jagr played regularly on Giroux's right wing that season.
23) Dec. 21, 2011: Giroux had been scorching hot offensively when he suffered a concussion on Dec.10 after an accidental collision with teammate Wayne Simmonds (who tried to jump over Giroux in the neutral zone and accidentally kneed "G" in the head). Giroux missed the next four games, returning on Dec. 21 in Dallas. On that night, Giroux racked up four points (1g, 3a) in a 4-1 Flyers victory.
24) April 24, 2011: Giroux notched two assists as the Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Giroux compiled nine points in the series. He'd go on to post 12 points overall (1g, 11a) in 11 playoff games.
25) Jan. 30, 2011: A first-time NHL All-Star Game selection. Giroux was joined by teammate Danny Briere (in whose South Jersey house Giroux lived early in his NHL career). Giroux had a goal and an assist in the All-Star Game. During the regular season, he won the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the first time and enjoyed his first 50-assist.
26) June 2, 2010: Giroux's overtime goal in Game 3 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, supplemented by two earlier assists, lifted the team to a 4-3 win. The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs marked Giroux's true arrival as one of the NHL's fast-rising young stars. Overall, he compiled 21 points (10g, 11a) in 23 games during the 20210 postseason.
27) April 11, 2010: The Flyers needed a win on the final day of the 2009-20 regular season to edge out the visiting New York Rangers for a playoff spot. After 65 minutes, the game was tied at 1-1. The fate of the season rested on the outcome of a shootout. Goals by Giroux and Briere plus two vital saves by Brian Boucher sealed the win for the Flyers.
28) Dec. 30, 2008: Coming off an excellent draft-plus-two junior season for the Gatineau Olympiques and an astounding QMJHL playoff run that saw him rack up 51 points in just 19 games, Giroux was expected to make the Flyers out of training camp. It didn't work out that way, as he had a so-so camp and spent 33 games with the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms (34 points). Giroux was called up to the big club just after Christmas. On the 30th of December, Giroux notched one assist in a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. It was Giroux's first point in the NHL.
Honorable Mention 1: The Flyers were riddled with injuries as were the Phantoms in mid-Feb. 20008. As a result, the Flyers made a two-game emergency recall of top prospect Giroux (then with Gatineau). Wearing No. 56, Giroux made his NHL debut in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2008. Most notably, Giroux was tabbed for a shootout attempt. He was not able to convert it. The Flyers lost, 3-2. Two nights later, Giroux played 9:49 of ice time in a 3-1 home loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Honorable mention 2: On June 24, 2006, the Flyers selected Giroux with the 22nd overall pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In a humorous moment, Flyers general manager Bob Clarke momentarily forgot Giroux's name at the podium.
