A Tribute to the Captain

I would say it's fair to suggest that it's been quite certain for a bit now what direction the Philadelphia Flyers have needed to take, at least in the short term. Some have been calling for it for years and some just for months, but the reality is the Flyers needed a change. It started with the ouster of Alain Vigneault several months ago, and eventually progressed to the point of a deadline selloff. The team's biggest rentals were dealt, but one name stood out amongst the group:

Claude Giroux.

I was five when Giroux made his debut in February of 2008. Admittedly, I do not remember much of the Flyers from that time. I did not grow up a sports fan, and honestly don't remember much from that time sports of otherwise. To me, I really became a Flyers fan during the 2010 Cup run. Perhaps one of the most upstart and pleasantly surprising teams since the 1993 Phillies, the Flyers made it all the way to the Finals. Of course, in the end, they did not win, but the energy around that team was amazing, and it was such a great time to be a fan. I still was not paying enough attention to individual players at that time.

I do not remember when I went to my first Flyers game, but I think it was somewhere in the 2011-2014 range. This was the post-Pronger era, whether it was known that it was over or not. As a kid who had never seen much of the legendary defenseman in the past, Pronger almost seemed like a myth. Everyone talked about him, but I never quite saw him. In looking back, 2011-12, Pronger's last year, was G's true breakout. He had 93 points in just 77 games that year, easily smashing the PPG mark.

So, what am I getting at here? Well, while Giroux wasn't named the Flyers captain until the next year, the "Giroux Era" has always felt like the first one I truely grew up with. To me, Giroux was the Flyers over this span. This persisted too through some poor times. In fact, I found myself, perhaps as recently as just over a year ago, believing that he was overrated, that he really wasn't living up to his billing. Since then though, I've truly grasped the value he brings to the team, both as a player and a leader, truly realized why he was the face of the franchise - why he wore the "C".

And so, Claude, here's to you, and here's to hoping we see you in orange and black even just one more time.