Claude Giroux, still going strong at 34, is Flyers’ lone All-Star representative

Captain Claude Giroux was the Flyers’ lone representative when the NHL announced its All-Star teams Thursday night.

It was the seventh time the center/left winger had been selected during his superb career; he was also chosen in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019.

The three-on-three games will be played Feb. 5 in Las Vegas, and will again have a four-team, round-robin format. Each team — the Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central, and Pacific — will be composed of 11 players.

Of the 11 players on each team, nine were selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations. One player, the captain, came from the fans’ vote that concluded last week, and another player will be added to each team through the Last Man In voting, which runs through Monday night.

Giroux, 34, who is in the final year of his contract, leads the Flyers with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists). He and Cam Atkinson 32, have been the Flyers’ best players. Atkinson leads the Flyers in goals (14) and with a plus-9 rating.

Atkinson was an All-Star in 2017 and 2019 with Columbus.

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Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour, a former Flyers star, will coach the Metro All-Stars. The other coaches: Florida’s Andrew Brunette (Atlantic), Colorado’s Jared Bednar (Central), and Vegas’ Peter DeBoer (Pacific).

The 3 p.m. game will be televised by ABC.

Earlier in the season, goaltender Carter Hart looked like he had a chance to make the All-Star team before he went through a rough stretch. In their history, the Flyers have had seven goalies play in a combined 14 All-Star Games: Bernie Parent (five times), Wayne Stephenson (two), Pete Peeters (two), Pelle Lindbergh (two), Bob Froese (one), Ron Hextall (one), and Roman Cechmanek (one).

They haven’t had one of their goalies play in an All-Star Game since Cechmanek in the 2000-01 season, according to Flyershistory.com.

Hart took a 2.92 GAA and .912 save percentage into Thursday’s game in Boston.

Just before the All-Star team was announced, I asked fans on Twitter which Flyer should be named. With about 1,100 folks participating through 6 p.m., Giroux had collected 58% of the votes, followed by Atkinson (24%), Hart (9%), and Joel Farabee (9%).

In addition to Giroux, the Metropolitan All-Star team is composed of forwards Sebastian Aho of Carolina, Jack Hughes of New Jersey, Chris Kreider of the Rangers, and Alex Ovechkin of Washington. Ovechkin, named to his eighth All-Star team, is the Metro’s captain.

The team’s defense: Adam Fox (Rangers), Adam Pelech (Islanders), and Zach Werenski (Columbus). The goalies are Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry and Carolina’s Frederik Andersen.

Who should be the #Flyers’ All-Star representative?

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) January 13, 2022