Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux growing in confidence
After a breakout performance in last season's play-off run with the Philadelphia Flyers, forward Claude Giroux has quietly emerged this season as one of the NHL's top forwards and a leader on one of the
the most potent offences in the league.
Although they failed to win the big prize last season, after finishing seventh in the conference, their run to the final was seen as a major surprise. The fact that that late season success has continued
as the Flyers are tied with the Washington Capitals for the top spot in the Eastern Conference is not a suprise.
"At the end of the season last year it just started clicking," Giroux said in an interview with NHL.com when asked exactly when he began to grow in confidence. "Since then we haven't stopped."
The Flyers are off to one of their best starts and currently lead the Atlantic Division – a division they have not won since before the lockout. They also have the league's best point differential and
are at plus-23. After 22 games, no team has scored more goals in the league than the Flyers, and Giroux has been instrumental in that success leading the team with 12 goals.
"I think any time you get confident and you maintain a high level of work ethic, you can be successful," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said about Giroux's keys to success. "You throw in the skill level
that he has and then you've got a player that can be really dominant in games and dominant in the League. For me it's a combination of his confidence with a dose of work ethic and a heavy skill set."
Giroux has also gained the reputation of being a humble player who is reluctant to speak about his own successes. The numbers don't seem to be a distraction for Giroux who seems more concerned with putting
in a good performance each and every game and learning every step of the way.
"When things are going right, they really go right," he said of the numbers he's been putting up. "Obviously in juniors I was an offensive player, but it's juniors and it's not the same thing. It's different.
You just learn, I guess. I've been here for three years and I'm still learning, but I'm having a lot of fun doing it now. I feel real good right now."
Last season Giroux posted career highs for goals (16) and points (47). He is on pace to shatter those marks this season.
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