Giroux named All-Star MVP, says representing Flyers 'definitely an honor'

LAS VEGAS --Claude Giroux didn't need to think about the future this weekend. He didn't need to ponder the possibilities or wonder which jersey he might be wearing when the Stanley Cup Playoffs come around. Instead, all Giroux had to do for the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend was enjoy time with his family, play in his seventh All-Star Game, and relax.

The center did all of those, and more, winning the Most Valuable Player award following a 5-3 win by the Metropolitan Division against the Central Division in the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game final at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday while serving as captain.
"I'm not going to think about this right now," Giroux said. "Just enjoy the weekend. There's a lot of things to figure out, but that's for another day."

Things will get more serious when Giroux returns home. The captain of the Philadelphia Flyers has an uncertain future, with a good season on the ice bumping up against an expiring contract and a disappointing record for the Flyers.
The 34-year-old has played his 15 NHL seasons for Philadelphia, but the eight-year contract he signed July 5, 2013, expires at the end of the season. General manager Chuck Fletcher has said Giroux will not sign a new contract during the season, and he could be a popular target at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline of March 21, should he opt to waive the no-move clause in his contract.
The Flyers (15-22-8) are seventh in the eight-team Metropolitan Division.
Giroux has scored 893 points (288 goals, 605 assists) in 985 NHL games and eight goals in the All-Star Game in any format.
Asked about winning MVP while representing the Flyers, Giroux said, "It's been an honor to put that jersey on. It's been for [15] years, it's been a lot of fun, and any time you get to represent them it's definitely an honor."
In the final, Giroux scored two goals, a one-timer that went off Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar at 3:33 of the first period and another at 2:42 of the second. He had a goal and an assist in the first game, a 6-4 semifinal win against the Pacific Division.
"He was great," Metropolitan coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Good to see. Been a trouper in this league for a long time, kind of carrying the torch a little bit for this league in these events. Then to come out and be one of the best guys on the ice, that says a lot."
As MVP, Giroux won a Honda Passport. He said he was not sure what he would do with the car.
He also won the admiration of his teammates, including Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, who asked Giroux if he could take the captain's stick home with him as a memento.
"You could tell right from the beginning, even before the game, he mentioned to us, 'We're here, we might as well win it', and when a guy like him, he's captain of the team here, he's been captain of the Flyers for so long, when he's saying that, he's going hard, I think it kind of just drags everyone else into it," Werenski said. "We all felt that from the beginning, and I think it just carried over throughout the games, and like I said, we found a way to win."

And while Giroux was pleased with the outcome -- the win, and the $1 million to split with his Metropolitan teammates, along with the car -- he talked more about how much fun he had with the team, another piece of his weekend away from everything.
"On the bench we had a blast today," said Giroux, who was named captain after Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin entered NHL COVID-19 protocol Wednesday. "Everybody was having a good time. It started with the coach, and guys were yelling to play defense and win battles and block shots. We just had fun today."
That was the case on and off the ice.
"It was a great weekend, especially spending it with my wife (Ryanne) and my oldest (son), Gavin," Giroux said. "We've been doing a lot of cool stuff, just taking it all in. We're going to stay for one more day, just hang out. It's been fun so far."
And that is what has made this All-Star Game different for him, separated it from the other six: The ability to share it with his family, to have a weekend truly away from everything that awaits him in Philadelphia.
"Every time during the game I'd look at him and he'd be doing something silly," Giroux said of Gavin. "I know him and my wife, they had a great time during the game. Obviously when you win MVP it makes it a little bit better."