Scott Hartnell, Flyers would apparently jump off a bridge for captain Claude Giroux
Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell has attempted to qualify the leadership of team captain Claude Giroux, and he recently offered the following (and hopefully hyperbolic) example:
Giroux is a guy #Flyers want to win for. Hartnell: "we'd follow him to the Ben Franklin Bridge and jump if he led the way."
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) March 19, 2014
It's an interesting way of saying Giroux has rebounded admirably from a rough start to the season, not only personally but on a team level as well.
The Flyers began the season with a record of 3-8-0 through October, but now sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 79 points after a record of 33-17-7 since. Their climb up the standings coincides with a drastic uptick in production from Giroux.
| Month | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 11 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| November | 15 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| December | 14 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| January | 15 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| February | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| March | 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| TOTAL | 68 | 24 | 47 | 71 |
Interestingly, Giroux leads the NHL with 51 points since Dec. 11, the day that he was officially omitted from Canada's Olympic team.
Giroux's latest heroics came Tuesday against Chicago, netting an overtime winner against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
“You could tell he wanted it,” Hartnell said of the goal. “He was skating pretty hard. It seems like he finds a way to get his shots through most of the time. He absolutely got off a rocket there.
“I mean [Giroux] is really been playing hard, really skating, attacking, he’s leading our team,” head coach Craig Berube told CSN Philly after the win. “I think it starts on the bench, he’s vocal, he’s really into it all the time, does a very good job of keeping everybody going.”
The 26-year-old sits fourth in the NHL in total points, and appears to have the full confidence and backing of his teammates. As such, Giroux may be poised to continue this surge deep into the playoffs as the Flyers attempt to make a run in an Eastern Conference that is ripe for the taking.