Look, it’s pretty obvious that this Flyers season isn’t going anywhere near the way we fans had expected. The defense has been a joke, goaltending has been subpar, and for the most part, the forwards are underproducing save for a few. One thing this season has really exposed, however, is the lack of respect Flyers fans have for one of the greatest Flyers of all time, Claude Giroux.
Don’t get me wrong, some fans have been saying that for a while now, for reasons I can’t understand. This year, though, they feel like they’re more justified, given that the Flyers are nowhere near the playoffs, and Giroux is getting older with a large cap it. Let me be blunt about about this: these people are absolute morons. Recently, Claude Giroux moved into the top 3 in points all time by a Flyer. Want to know how he did that? By being in the top 5 in points in the NHL since 09-10, his sophomore year.
My favorite argument from these losers is “he hasn’t led them to a Cup”…well have you SEEN some of the teams he’s had around him? Have you ever heard of Phil Varone, Corban Knight, Taylor Leier, Roman Lyubimov, or Chris Vandevelde? No? That’s my point. Some Flyers fans don’t even know who those guys are, let alone any non-Flyers fan.
For the vast majority of Claude Giroux’s career as a Flyer, his support has been virtually non-existent and he’s still top 5 in points over the last decade. The best part is I didn’t even come close to naming all of the nobodies that have played a significant number of games on the same team as this ginger legend.
There’s another player who comes to my mind when we think of not leading his long time team to a Cup. Ever heard of Ray Bourque? Pretty good player right? He’s one of the best defenseman of all time, but I guarantee if he was a Flyer these same people would be saying “didn’t win a Cup here so he’s not one of the greats.” It is SUCH a bad argument that I legitimately question these peasants’ ability to think. It’s just so clear to me these guys have played hockey at a level no higher than beer league, and they take it way too seriously.
My second favorite argument from these pigeons is “he doesn’t want it enough”…what? Do you hear yourself? Imagine telling a pro athlete, especially an NHL player, that he doesn’t want to win a championship enough. You can’t even get your fat ass off the couch where you WATCH HIM to go to the gym and you say he doesn’t want it enough? That’s just such a lazy argument…which I guess makes sense here.
At the end of the day, Claude Giroux is no worse than a top-10 Flyer all time and I will fight anyone who disagrees. It’s still a joke that he didn’t win the Hart in 2018 and lost to that fraud Taylor Hall (Giroux had more points, about as large of a point gap between him and the next guy, and also led his otherwise bad team to the playoffs).
He has been clutch numerous times in his career, a rocket one timer, unreal passing ability, and has a set of hands you can only dream of. He has consistently been one of the most underrated players in the NHL, and it seems like he’s underrated even on his own team. You don’t get a Claude Giroux very often, and we need to cherish him for the time we have left because it won’t be that long until he’s gone. Let’s go Flyers, and put some RESPECT on Claude Giroux’s name.
The Morning Skate 