Giroux named All-Star for fifth time in career

Claude Giroux

For Claude Giroux, it’s getting to be a habit and a good one at that.

On Wednesday, Giroux was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the third time in the last four years and fifth time in his career.

Quite a resume for the Flyers captain, who stood tied for second in NHL scoring going into Wednesday night action with 52 points with Philadelphia on its bye week.

The Honda NHL All-Star Weekend will take place in Tampa on Jan. 27-28.

“It’s a pretty good feeling,’’ Giroux said. “I think a lot of guys on the team are deserving of going, too.  But at the same time it is pretty exciting.  The NHL always does a good job of making this a great event for the fans and players and it’s always a good time.”

There was speculation the Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere might be named to the team because he stands tied for fourth in NHL defense scoring.

But because of the format, which features competition among all four divisions, the rosters have to contain at least one player from each of the eight Metro Division teams.

Giroux is currently the Flyers’ leading scorer on the season with 14 goals and 38 assists for 52 points in 42 games.

Heading into tonight’s NHL action, Giroux is tied for second in the NHL in assists with 38. Giroux’s scoring pace over the first half is his best since he also had 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) over the first 42 games of the 2011-12 season, which he completed with a career-high 93 points.

 

Giroux’s last All-Star appearance came in Nashville in 2016. He also represented the Flyers in  2015 (Columbus), 2012 (Ottawa) and 2011 (Carolina). He becomes the first Flyer to make a fifth All-Star appearance since John LeClair (five times) and Eric Lindros (six times) were selected for the Eastern Conference squad in 2000. The Flyers’ franchise record belongs to Bob Clarke, who was named to 10 mid-season NHL All-Star teams and appeared in nine of those games.

 

NHL All-Star Weekend will once again run under a divisional format. The 2018 NHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27 (7:00 p.m. on NBCSN) and will feature divisional competition in the categories of hardest shot, fastest skater, puck-handling relay, and other events.

 

The 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game will be on Sunday, Jan. 28 (3:30 p.m. on NBC), and Giroux will be looking to help the Metropolitan Division repeat as All-Star Game champions. For a third consecutive year, the event will run in a 3-on-3 tournament format consisting of three 20-minute games – Atlantic vs. Metropolitan and Pacific vs. Central, with the winners of those two games meeting in the championship game. The winning division in the Skills Competition will determine the order of the 3-on-3 games.

 

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About Wayne Fish 2385 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

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