Even at 34, Flyers’ All-Star Claude Giroux proves he’s still ‘one of the best’ in NHL

After helping the Metropolitan Division win the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, Zach Werenski walked away with a really awesome memento — Claude Giroux’s stick.

Werenski, a two-time All-Star for the Columbus Blue Jackets, finished with three assists. Each of them set up a Giroux goal. After the game, Werenski asked the Metropolitan captain if he could take home his stick. Flattering, right?

“Yeah, for sure,” Giroux said. “I mean, obviously, he’s one of the best defensemen in the league. When somebody asks you that, it’s, ah, I kind of ask myself, ‘Why?’ “

Giroux is not the flashiest player. The Seattle Kraken’s Jordan Eberle pointed out he’s not fast like Connor McDavid, and he doesn’t have a hard shot like Alex Ovechkin. Giroux laughed at the thought of competing in either of those skills events on All-Star weekend.

But after getting to play with Giroux for Canada at the 2015 world championship in Prague, Eberle started to understand how Giroux had been to five straight All-Star Games to that point.

“I think just how intelligent he is on the ice,” Eberle said. “He’s able to see plays that not many people can. ... He’s really one of the best players in the game.”

With Ovechkin out with COVID, only one player in Saturday’s All-Star Game had played in as many as Giroux’s seven. Tampa Bay seven-time All-Star Steven Stamkos goes “way back” with Giroux, and he’s participated in many events with him, from world juniors to All-Star Games. In his mind, the consistency Giroux has shown over the years is what separates him from being a good competitor and being a great competitor. And as the two of them age, it’s only getting more impressive.

“He’s having a great year this year,” said Stamkos, 32. “Getting up there in age in the hockey world [34]. People tend to not expect a lot from you once you get past 30, but he’s proven them wrong again.”

Calgary Flames All-Star Johnny Gaudreau was 14 when Giroux began his NHL career. Gaudreau didn’t have had the chance to follow Giroux as a friend and peer like Stamkos, but as a young Flyers fan from South Jersey, he watched Giroux’s career for years. It was a “cool” experience to finally play Giroux and the Flyers as a fellow NHL player.

Now, Giroux is a name Gaudreau has circled every time the Flames and the Flyers face.

The 2022 NHL All-Star Game had 20 first-time participants. But Giroux can count both exciting young players and seasoned veterans among his fans — even those who play on rival teams.

While Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry couldn’t resist poking fun at the Flyers by pointing out how much he likes watching Sidney Crosby play them — Crosby has 49 goals against them, 10 more than he has against any other franchise — he also said he always enjoys competing with the Flyers. And he attributes a lot of who the Flyers are to Giroux.

“He’s their leader,” Jarry said. “He’s their captain. He’s what drives their team. So I think he’s done a great job. They’ve been very competitive over the years.”

When Tom Wilson made his Washington Capitals debut in 2013, he walked right into a rivalry with the Flyers that was “already pretty hot and emotional.” And Giroux always seemed to be right in the thick of things. As a first-time All Star, Wilson was excited to play with Giroux for once instead of against him.

In the nine years they’ve battled, Wilson has also learned that while Giroux is someone you have to pay attention to, he’s also someone you have to ignore.

“You know what, I think he has honestly probably chirped me on every single faceoff we’ve ever had against each other — some fun, some not,” Wilson said. “He’s mostly just having fun. Like, I don’t know, maybe trying to be my friend, get me off my game.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews can confirm Giroux likes to try to get in opponents’ heads. The two of them skate together in the summer, and Matthews has seen how Giroux uses his IQ to make smart plays and to come up with annoying chirps.

Giroux rewarded everyone’s anticipation of playing with and against him at the All-Star Game with an MVP performance. Across two 20-minute games, Giroux scored three goals and four points. He set the tone from the start, leading the Metropolitan to the championship.

“He mentioned to us that we’re here, might as well win it,” Werenski said. “When a guy like him is captain of the team here, he’s the captain of the Flyers for so long, when he’s saying that, he’s going hard, I think it kind of just drives everyone else into it.”

Metropolitan coach Rod Brind’Amour, of the Carolina Hurricanes, said he saw Giroux’s attitude affect everyone, especially Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist, and was 7-for-10 on faceoffs.

“Kuznetsov said, ‘I’m going to be the hardest-working guy out there,’ ” Giroux said with a laugh. “I never see him work so hard for faceoffs before, even when I play against him in the regular season.”

Kuznetsov, a second-time All-Star, said he’s enjoyed playing with and against Giroux, who always seems to be having fun even as he’s gotten older.

“You know, it’s just nice to see those type of players, you know, not in their 20s, right?” said Kuznetsov, who turns 30 in May.

“He’s always fun. Nice guy. And it was nice to be with him on the team. And you know, I hope he’s going to continue to play good hockey and plays much longer as he can.”