Flyers icon Claude Giroux: By the (mostly amazing) numbers over the years

Claude Giroux, who will play in his 1,000th career game Thursday against visiting Nashville, has spent parts of 15 amazing seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Here are his numbers, good and bad. Most, of course, are good. Very good.

1: His only career playoff overtime goal was arguably the biggest moment of his career. His OT tally in Game 3 against Chicago gave the Flyers a 4-3 win, and cut the Blackhawks’ lead to two-games-to-one in the Stanley Cup Final. Giroux officially stamped himself as a star in the 2010 playoffs as he collected 21 points — including 10 goals — in 23 games.

NHL, beware.

He had the game-winning shootout goal against the Rangers to push the Flyers into the playoffs that season.

2: Number of career hat tricks: in Pittsburgh on April 13, 2012 (in the playoffs), and vs. the New York Rangers on April 7, 2018.

2: The number of combined goals he has scored in his last 28 playoff games over three different seasons. His early playoff seasons, however, were outstanding.

2nd: Where he ranks in franchise history in games played (999), points (900),and assists (609).

5: The number of times he has won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team’s MVP.

7: The number of All-Star selections in his career. He was named the MVP of this season’s tournament.

8: The number of goals he scored in 10 playoff games in 2011-12.

10: The number of seasons he has served as the Flyers’ captain. He has been the captain for 714 games, more than anyone in franchise history.

During those 10 years, the Flyers have won only one playoff series. This will be the sixth time in that span they did not qualify for the playoffs, and in three others years, they were eliminated in the opening round.

From here, the biggest problem during Giroux’s tenure as captain was the talent around him.

.⁦@Hartsy43⁩ was right. ⁦@28CGiroux⁩ DID look 14 years old when he first wore a #Flyers jersey. pic.twitter.com/i0uK12Wi3h

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 15, 2022

14: The staggering number of points Giroux collected in six playoff games against the Penguins in 2012. In the series-clinching win in Game 6, Giroux knocked down Sidney Crosby with a hard hit on the contest’s first shift. A short time later, in what became known as The Shift, he whipped in the game’s first goal. He keyed the 5-1 win, and his coach, Peter Laviolette, called him “the best player in the world” after the victory.

21: The number of points he  scored in 23 playoff games in 2009-10, helping the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Final.

22: Giroux’s overall draft selection in 2006. He has more points (900) than anyone in that draft except Nicklas Backstrom (1,000) and Phil Kessel (940). Backstrom was drafted No. 4, and Kessel was taken No. 5.(Current Flyer Derick Brassard was drafted No. 6 overall by Columbus that year.)

28: The number he wore for most of his career with the Flyers. It should hang from the Wells Fargo Center rafters some day.

34: The most goals he scored in a season (2017-18).

51: The crazy number of points (17 goals, 34 assists) he accumulated in 19 QMJHL playoff games for Gatineau in 2008.

56: The number he wore for his NHL debut in 2008.

67: His highest point total against any NHL team. He has 67 vs. the New York Islanders in 63 games. Giroux’s second-best total is 64 points in 61 games, vs. Pittsburgh.

68: He had this many assists in 2017-18, tops in the NHL.

plus-69: His plus-minus rating in 503 career home games; he is minus-41 in 496 road games.

102: His highest point total, which is No. 8 in franchise history. (Marck Recchi is No. 1, with 123 points in 1992-93.) Giroux had 102 points in 2017-18 and should have been the league’s MVP, but it went to Taylor Hall. Somehow, Giroux wasn’t even named a finalist. SMH.

291: The number of goals he has scored in 999 career games.

The indisputable top 10 plays of Claude Giroux’s career – Broad Street Hockey #Flyers https://t.co/mgyaff12ny

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 15, 2022

325: The number of points he has scored in 343 games since he turned 30.

334: The number of power-play points Giroux, who has been extremely durable during his career, had accumulated when he assisted on Sean Couturier’s goal on Dec. 10, 2021. That moved Giroux past Bobby Clarke and and made him the the all-time leading power-play producer in franchise history.

410: His number of career penalty minutes in parts of 15 seasons. Former Flyers bad boy Dave Schultz once had 472 penalty minutes in one season with Philadelphia.

609: His career assist total.

900: His career point total, second in franchise history to Clarke’s 1,210 points. Clarke is the only player to ever play in 1,000 games for the Flyers (1,144). Giroux will reach 1,000 on Thursday, and pregame festivities will begin at 7 p.m.

2-19-08: This was the date of Girioux’s NHL debut. Fittingly, it was near where he grew up, in Ottawa. He had no points in 9:27 of playing time.

“He looked like he was 14 years old,” teammate Scott Hartnell said of the baby-faced Giroux. Hartnell was in his first year with the Flyers that season.

12-30-08: Giroux collected his first career point, an assist, in this game in Vancouver, a 3-2 Flyers victory. Giroux had a secondary assist on a goal by Jeff Carter. Matt Carle had the primary assist. Hartnell and Jon Kalinski also scored for the Flyers.

Great trivia question: Who scored the game-winning goal in the game in which Giroux had his first NHL point? Kalinski, who never scored again in his NHL career. (You could win a lot of money on that one.)

1/27/09: This was when Giroux scored the first goal of his NHL career, beating Tomas Vokoun early in the third period of a 3-2 loss in Florida. Darroll Powe set it up. Simon Gagne also scored for the Flyers, who had Marty Biron as their goaltender.

PHN: Sean Couturier on a potential Claude Giroux trade: ‘We would be happy for him’