• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Philadelphia Flyers

The Playoff Guarantee, Claude Giroux Makes Good On His Word

By Andy Dudones April 10th, 2014

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

When Claude Giroux professed his playoff guarantee back in October, the Flyers were 1-7-0, while being out-scored 24-11 throughout their first eight games. The Flyers were out-of-sync, sloppy, and often looked discombobulated against Phoenix, Detroit, Vancouver and Pittsburgh. But as we’ve seen before, when Giroux says it’s so, it must be so.

Claude Giroux's playoff guarantee may have been the turning point for the playoff-bound Flyers.

Claude Giroux’s playoff guarantee may have been the turning point for the playoff-bound Flyers. – Photo by Andy Martin Jr

The Playoff Guarantee – Leadership 101

As Claude Giroux goes, so goes the Philadelphia Flyers. The correlation between Philly’s worst start in franchise history and Giroux’s slowest career start to a season is no coincidence. The Flyers were 1-4-0 before the captain notched his first point of the season, and were 4-10-1 before he scored his first goal of the season against Edmonton. But despite a less than pedestrian start from both he and the team, the face of the franchise stood tall when Philadelphia had more faith in the 76ers.

“We will make the playoffs. We’re not far off at all. How many points are we out, six?” asked Giroux. “To think of the start that we had and we’re that close . . . we never thought about not making the playoffs. We’ve got to go game by game and we will make the playoffs.”

The rest, as you know, is history. So how exactly did Giroux make good on his playoff guarantee? Leadership.

“We definitely struggled as a team the first 10, but he’s been confident,” said teammate Scott Hartnell. “He’s been leading us on and off the ice and just been fun to play with. Every game he’s excited to play and he’s got that fire in his eye. It’s great to be a linemate of him and teammate of him.”

#Flyers are now 20-2-1 when Claude Giroux scores a goal and 33-14-3 when he registers a point.

— Whiz Wit Sports (@WhizWitSports) April 9, 2014

Flyers win 5-2, clinch a playoff spot, just like Claude Giroux said they would back in October.

— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) April 9, 2014

So how is Giroux exactly leading his team? Consider the staggering numbers. The Flyers are 20-2-1 when their captain dents the twine, and 33-14-3 when he registers a point. When Giroux flipped the scoring switch, the Flyers started winning hockey games. The same Giroux that went 15 games without a goal now sits fourth in the NHL scoring race through 79 games with 81 points.

“Since Giroux made his promise, the Flyers are 40-22-9. With the Columbus Blue Jackets nipping at their heels and each game becoming more important down the stretch, Giroux played some of the best hockey of his career. In the past 12 games, he has 12 points, including two goals in Tuesday’s win.” — nj.com

“He’s one of the best players in this League and I think he’s shown that time after time,” said fellow forward Wayne Simmonds.”… I think people were doubting him earlier this year and I think he has definitely proved himself. He’s been awesome. He’s a great leader and he works really, really hard. He’s a great example for all of us to follow.”

The Playoff Guarantee, Not The Final Goal

Although Giroux made good on his playoff guarantee, the final goal remains to be earned. And while Giroux knows what it’s like to rise to the occasion in big games, demanding the first shift in 2012’s quarterfinal against Pittsburgh, he also knows what it’s like to come up short. After planting Sidney Crosby on his wallet and scoring within the first 32 seconds of game-six against Pittsburgh, Giroux and the Flyers ended up falling to the New Jersey Devils in five games in the very next round.

Although Giroux was not healthy for the semifinals that year, losing to the Devils still turned out to be a low point for “G.” Giroux, who did not play in Philadelphia’s elimination game due to a suspension for his hit to the head of Dainius Zubrus, was left with few words.

“It should have been a tighter series,” said a disappointed Giroux.

After missing the playoffs in last year’s lockout-shortened season, the Flyers are back in the race for the Cup, finding little satisfaction in just being invited to the dance. If the message wasn’t clearly delivered before, it certainly was at a recent practice when Giroux personally extended the session to work on a power play that has become inept.

“The team’s scheduled afternoon practice was coming to an end when Giroux joined his usual power play unit mates in gathering around Hall of Fame assistant coach Joey Mullen, who seemed to be diagramming something on a dry erase board hanging on the glass straight from his wealth of knowledge. When Mullen finished making his point, Giroux insisted practice wasn’t over. He called everyone back onto the ice and insisted Mullen’s thoughts needed to be put into action for a few minutes more.” — Daily Local News

Giroux, Timonen, Voracek, Hartnell, Vinny and Streit having a meeting with PP coach Joe Mullen at the white board during practice.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 9, 2014

Post-Playoff Guarantee

The Flyers will use their remaining three games of the regular season to jockey for seeding position. Two of their final three opponents also happen to be against Eastern Conference playoff teams in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. With the Columbus Blue Jackets equalling their 91 points, the Flyers will need to find a way to pull out points with their game at hand they hold over the Jackets.

Now that Giroux's playoff guarantee has come to fruition, the Flyers will inevitably face future challenges in the postseason.

Now that Giroux’s playoff guarantee has come to fruition, the Flyers will inevitably face future challenges in the postseason.

This task won’t be easy, however, since the Flyers are a combined 3-5-1 against the three. But despite their struggles against the teams that remain on the schedule, it’s also a chance to not only enter the playoffs with momentum, but a much-needed reminder to a team that that has already proven that they can beat anyone. Philadelphia will want to finish as high as possible in the standings, especially since they’re a combined 10-12-1 against all Eastern Conference playoff teams.

The Flyers, of course, will want home ice advantage since they’re considerably better at the Wells Fargo Center than on the road. At home, Philly boasts a 24-14-2 record; on the road, they’re less impressive, showing a 17-15-7 mark.

“Anytime you get home-ice advantage, especially when you’re the Flyers, when you play at home the fans are pretty nuts,” said Giroux. “It gives us a little more motivation.”

Motivation is one thing, but results are another. But then again, maybe the man who gave us the playoff guarantee knows more than we do.

“I just believed in this team,” declared Giroux. “Last year, not making the playoffs was unacceptable.”

  • Tags
  • 2014 NHL Playoffs
  • Claude Giroux
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 26th 6:20 PM
Calgary Flames

Tkachuk Shows His Ignorance Discussing Maple Leafs’ Campbell Injury

Jan 26th 6:10 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Reaping the Rewards of Zach Whitecloud’s Development

Jan 26th 6:00 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Outlook After First 6 Games of 2020-21

Jan 26th 5:50 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets’ 2021 Offseason Free Agent Preview

Jan 26th 5:05 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Unlikely to Call Up Former Fan Favourite Darling

Jan 26th 4:40 PM
Archives

The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2020-21 Season Update

Jan 26th 4:32 PM
Archives

Jimmy Howard’s Red Wings Legacy

Jan 26th 4:25 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Not Playing to Full Potential in Comeback Wins

Jan 26th 4:15 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Mediocre Avalanche Road Trip Plagued by Inconsistency

Jan 26th 4:05 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Coach Ralph Krueger is a Jack of All Trades

Editor’s Picks
Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information