Claude Giroux - The Next Captain

[BearOnIce]

Listened to his post game comments.

Basically told the press when we win, you congratulate our team, when we loose you congratulate our goalies.

Giroux basically said we are a team. We support our goalies. He is a stand up guy. A lot of poise for a young guy.

I hope Holmgren doesn't leave Giroux out there.

Step up Paul. You got work to do.

[doom88]

Just because Giroux can do PR doesn't mean he has to be the Capt. Let a vet deal with those duties and let Giroux focus on his game some more.

[hf101]

@BearOnIce

I was impressed how Giroux could lie so well without blinking an eye. B)

[BearOnIce]

Just because Giroux can do PR doesn't mean he has to be the Capt. Let a vet deal with those duties and let Giroux focus on his game some more.

Huh? Giroux is a vet. He stands up better than anyone on that sorry team.

[aziz]

i kind of think the opposite, keep the C away from claude for the foreseeable future. we're already seeing glimpses of the problem richards ran into of trying to do everything himself. excessive dangling in the offensive zone, overly clever passing, chasing the puck around the defensive zone....all as opposed to working as 1/5th of the assets on the ice. there are times when it is justified, but we are starting to see a lot of lost posessions and blown coverages because giroux is trying to do too much. pin a C on his chest and that gets worse, imo.

[BearOnIce]

@BearOnIce

I was impressed how Giroux could lie so well without blinking an eye. B)

Yes. A lot of the job description for a C.

[doom88]

If we *have* to assign a C, I'd rather see (in order):

- Timonen

- Hartnell

- Jagr (if signed through 12-13)

Giroux is 24. Let him continue to develop without added pressure.

[canoli]

Agreed - no "C" for Giroux, regardless how well he does post-game. G has things to work on during the game - as anyone does - let him do i without additional responsibilities. He's got to cut down on the bad passes and he's got to take it to the net more. We all love the guy, love what he brings but there are some glaring holes in his offensive game. By "glaring" I don't mean "terrible," just "obvious."

[Vanflyer]

@doom88

Hartnell? Really? He is the class clown. Hardly captain material.

[flyercanuck]

Giroux IS captain material. But I wouldn't stick that voodoo pin on him no how no way.

[doom88]

@doom88

Hartnell? Really? He is the class clown. Hardly captain material.

He has cut down on the stupid penalties Briere is still prone to, fights when needed, and can be serious when necessary. He hates Phaneuf, and can keep the room light - which can keep guys a little looser when a losing streak pops up. He is playing well again now that his life is in order, and puts in the effort.

[BearOnIce]

i kind of think the opposite, keep the C away from claude for the foreseeable future. we're already seeing glimpses of the problem richards ran into of trying to do everything himself. excessive dangling in the offensive zone, overly clever passing, chasing the puck around the defensive zone....all as opposed to working as 1/5th of the assets on the ice. there are times when it is justified, but we are starting to see a lot of lost posessions and blown coverages because giroux is trying to do too much. pin a C on his chest and that gets worse, imo.

I appreciate your comments Aziz, and I see the point you make, but I respectfully disagree because I am not looking at his on-ice. I think we are talking about 2 very different people to start. I see a very strong dose of personal accountability combined with a fearlessness of the media with Giroux. He is not a sulker like Richards. He is a fighter and will take on confrontation. He basically send a shot over the bow of the Philadelphia Flyers media yesterday to remember that the Flyers are a team, so back off any one individual. He may not totally believe it but that is secondary. Got a lot of Pronger in him in that regard. The Philadelphia Flyers media is rediculous with the Flyers. Always have been. This kid is well-grounded and can handle it. He's got my vote.

[aziz]

but I respectfully disagree because I am not looking at his on-ice.

why wouldn't you look at his on-ice, though? surely that is more important than how he carries himself to the press, no?

like i said, we are already seeing him take too much responsibility on the ice, like richards did. too much meaning he seems to think if the team is struggling, he has to fix it by himself. holding the puck for way too long, trying to make overly complicated thread-the-needle passes, running around chasing the puck in the defensive zone...as though if he doesn't make an amazing play, no one will. and that's a problem. it's a problem because offensive zone possesions are lost and defensive zone coverages are blown to hell if one guy tries to get it done alone. i have this bad feeling if you put a C on his jersey, that "it's up to me" concept only gets stronger. like it did with richards.

they are two different people, absolutely, and giroux does do a good job with the media. but i don't give two shits about the media. the captain can show up for his post-game availability and answer every question with the number 7 for all i care. i'm soley concerned about the on-ice, and i think giroux's game still needs some maturity before he becomes the official leader of the team.

[BearOnIce]

why wouldn't you look at his on-ice, though? surely that is more important than how he carries himself to the press, no?

like i said, we are already seeing him take too much responsibility on the ice, like richards did. too much meaning he seems to think if the team is struggling, he has to fix it by himself. holding the puck for way too long, trying to make overly complicated thread-the-needle passes, running around chasing the puck in the defensive zone...as though if he doesn't make an amazing play, no one will. and that's a problem. it's a problem because offensive zone possesions are lost and defensive zone coverages are blown to hell if one guy tries to get it done alone. i have this bad feeling if you put a C on his jersey, that "it's up to me" concept only gets stronger. like it did with richards.

they are two different people, absolutely, and giroux does do a good job with the media. but i don't give two shits about the media. the captain can show up for his post-game availability and answer every question with the number 7 for all i care. i'm soley concerned about the on-ice, and i think giroux's game still needs some maturity before he becomes the official leader of the team.

With all respect, Giroux's on-ice presence is solid, lots of leadership and chemistry with his teammates. It is what he gets paid handsomly for. I find the measure of a great athlete in how they conduct themself off the field, or off the ice in this case, in particular with the media, in particular when there is a loss and it is easy to throw teammates under the bus. None of this with Claude.

I do not think he is taking too much responsibility on the ice. I agree that if the team is struggling, Claude tries to elevate his game. The great ones try to do this. To set the example. He may occasionally hold the puck, or try and make a thread-the-needle pass, or set the example by chasing the puck in the defensive zone. The great ones do this. they put the game on their shoulders. I think with Pronger, arguably the greatest bona-fide leader in Flyers history since Bobby Clarke, possibly done (we hope not for his health and life quality), putting a C on Giroux makes the correct player transition. I think many in Philadelphia have trepidiation to put a C on a young player, for the fear the Richards scenerio repeats itself. I do not see this with Claude's character. This guy is solid in all facets.

We agree they are two different people, that is Richards and Giroux. For that I am thankful. I think the media is a large part of a captain's job, and Giroux speaks from the heart to the media. I for one like the way his humility comes across, just like a young Bob Clark. In this city of 36+ years of frustrated loosership with their NHL hockey team and dysfuctional ownership, it may be the young French-Canadian Giroux who puts it and keeps it into perspective. For that I will be happy to see him wear the C. We could do a lot worst.

[aziz]

well, different perspectives, i guess. i've seen a lot of turnovers recently because giroux went looking for the perfect mind blowing play, rather than keeping it simple and spreading posession around. i've seen a lot of goals against because giroux has gone running around the defensive zone trying to be a super hero rather than picking up his check and playing his position. "the great ones do this" is kinda crap, being "great" is no excuse for making bad plays in the name of being the best on the team. no one this side of mario is better alone than they are working as a team. if holding the puck forever simply draws a crowd and shuts down passing lanes, nothing is being accomplished. if leaving your man in the defensive zone to chase the new puck carrier 40 feet away leaves a guy standing all alone back door, problems are being created. i don't think he is being a D!ck or anything; i think he has it (rightfully) in his head that he is the most talented guy on the team, and he thinks (incorrectly) that means he is soley responsible for offensive creation and defensive scoring opportunity denial. richards had the same problem, on both fronts. richards had other problems, too, but the idea that being a leader meant the good plays all had to come from his stick was a big one, and one i don't want to see encouraged in giroux. at this point in his development, being named captain is only going to reinforce that misinterpretation.

i really and completely couldn't care any less about his ability with the media. i care more about what color water bottles the team uses. i care more that bob has gone back to white pads, i care more about what number kubina is going to wear. giroux could bark like a dog during every interview, and that would be just fine with me. if giving the press nice quotes comes at the cost of increasing his skewed view of responsibility on the ice, please keep the captaincy away from him. at the end of the day, giroux is only on his 4th season in the league, and is still learning what it is to be a leader on an NHL team, what it is to help a struggling team stand back up. i see zero benefit from putting added pressure on him or demanding the kind of singular accountability and primary responsibility that is demanded of a captain. in another 4 years, sure, great. now, bad idea.

Edited February 20, 2012 by aziz

[mojo1917]

@BearOnIce

Dave Poulin

Actually led the Flyers.

Chris Pronger has led other teams, been a leader on this one, but IMO you give him far too much credit for his time with the Flyers which has had mixed results at best

[BearOnIce]

@BearOnIce

Dave Poulin

Actually led the Flyers.

Chris Pronger has led other teams, been a leader on this one, but IMO you give him far too much credit for his time with the Flyers which has had mixed results at best

Perhaps I am a bit jaded on CP20. I have watched him since The Note at Keil. That Dave Poulin was quite a leader, wasn't he?

[mojo1917]

As I was too young to know the REC era, Poulin was my first glimpse of a man leading other men. The goal vs the Nordiques 3 on5 sealed the deal...

Don't mean to nit pick, but DP is my Robert Earle.

[Spinorama]

Listened to his post game comments.

Basically told the press when we win, you congratulate our team, when we loose you congratulate our goalies.

Giroux basically said we are a team. We support our goalies. He is a stand up guy. A lot of poise for a young guy.

I hope Holmgren doesn't leave Giroux out there.

Step up Paul. You got work to do.

i have no idea what else was said in this thread cause I haven't read the whole thing yet but I will say this... I'm at a point where I don't want the Flyers to ever again appoint a player the C. Who cares who's the team leader anyway? It does more harm than good it seems with this team worrying about who is going to be the captain.