Writer: Kevin Durso
Claude Giroux’s Player’s Tribune answers are awesome
All-Star weekend in the NHL is not so much about the game and more about seeing the personality of the NHL's stars. No more was that on display than last season when Jake Voracek used rookie sensation Johnny Gaudreau as a prop in his Breakaway Challenge attempt.
This season, the Flyers have just one representative at the All-Star Game, Claude Giroux, who makes his fourth career All-Star appearance.
Giroux participated in a feature on The Player's Tribune called 'What the (Blank)' where players real answer to a random questionnaire are on full display. For the NHL All-Star Edition, Giroux was the first to participate.
His answers are tremendous.
The first question on the list is: the one thing I don't mess with in my pre-game routine is? Giroux's answer: Michael Del Zotto.
Giroux also answers questions about players around the league. His player that he thought should have been named an All-Star was Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His choice for most underrated player in the NHL is Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi. The NHL player he thinks should be featured on the Bachelor? Former teammate Scott Hartnell.
If he had to give his shootout move a name, it would be "The G Thing." That move may be on full display, as Giroux will be a participant in the Discover NHL Shootout, as well as the DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting and Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay. Giroux will do the stick-handling portion of the relay.
His last answer is perhaps his best answer. When asked "the hardest thing I LOL'd at this season," Giroux says it was Jake Voracek getting suspended from soccer before the game." We're left to wonder what Voracek did to get suspended.
This is not Giroux's first time being featured in a Player's Tribune survey. Giroux was also featured last month answering questions about the previous year. Some of Giroux answers there were just as good. The best thing he did in 2015 was go to an AC/DC concert, he'd be okay with never hearing the word "Kardashian" in 2016 and his New Year's Resolution was to "eat more grilled cheese sandwiches."
Giroux will take the ice in Nashville for the NHL SuperSkills Competition on Saturday night and the 3-on-3 All-Star tournament on Sunday.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.