Claude Giroud had played exactly 1,000 games and collected 900 career points with the Philadelphia Flyers. It is a chapter of 15 years and ends in the city of brotherly love, which reluctantly leaves its captain.
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“Every day you trade your captain is tough, and with what Claude means to this organization and the way he has performed for 15 years, it’s hard to say goodbye. Claude is one of the best players to ever wear the Flyers uniform,” General Manager Chuck Fletcher said in a press release on Saturday.
Giroux joined the Florida Panthers in a massive trade that included prospects and recruiting. Franco-Ontarian himself was called early in the 2006 auction, number 22 overall, and went on to become one of the Flyers’ greatest players.
“He was the longest serving captain to pilots, second flyer only to play 1,000 orange and black games, and made the All-Star game seven times, but that’s not all he did. For this city and this franchise. It’s a bitter day, but we’re excited to see Claude in the playoffs with Florida This year, Claude will always be a player,” added President Dave Scott, who has worked alongside Giroux for nearly a decade.
In terms of matches and points, the 34-year-old athlete is second only to the legendary Bobby Clark.
He never won the Stanley Cup, but came close in 2010 when the Flyers reached the Finals, before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks. Giroux has always done well in the playoffs, with 73 points in 85 games, and should do a great job for the Panthers, one of the favorites to win top titles.
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By sending Giroud, Connor Bunman, German Rubtsov and a fifth-round pick to Florida, the Flyers secured a conditional first-round pick in 2024 and third in 2023. Rising right winger Owen Tibbett will also come to Philadelphia with the resolute intention to start his career once and for all.
“I am very excited about this new opportunity to join a team, build with them and make a fresh start. I am still working on improving my game at 200ft, but I think I can bring attack, size and speed into the squad,” he explained.
Tippett, the 10th player selected in the 2017 auction, has 33 points in 94 games in the National Hockey League. The Flyers also called him up from the MLS on Sunday and the new number 74 will participate in an afternoon duel against the New York Islanders.
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