 It is no secret who the Flyers best, and most popular, player is these days: Claude Giroux. Giroux, who was recently named the NHL’s 3rd Best Player by TSN, has steadly improved every asset of his game since coming onto the scene full time in the second half of the 2008-09 season. He has come a long wait since Bobby Clarke forgot his name at the 2006 NHL Draft. The 25 year old forward has grown into a leader on this Flyers team and it was never more apparent than last season. Fans got a look inside the Flyers locker room and could hear Giroux chirping on the ice. It culminated in what is now known as “The First Shift” in which Giroux asked head coach Peter Laviolette for the first shift of a crucial Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The rest is history as he flattened Penguins captain Sidney Crosby then proceeded to put the Flyers up 1-0 30 seconds later en route to a game and series victory. All things considered the reports surfacing now are not surprising. According to CSNPhilly, the Flyers plan to make Giroux the 19th captain in Flyers history. No one doubts that Giroux is a leader and ready for the captaincy as Danny Briere said today that Giroux is ready. Giroux now joins the likes of Clarke, Bill Barber, Eric Lindros, Keith Primeau, and Chris Pronger as captain of the Flyers. Many are concerned about whether or not Giroux, at age 25, is ready to assume the role due to Mike Richards’ inability to handle the media when he was named captain at age 23. We will have to wait and see on that one but, right now, it does not appear that Giroux will have any issue with the media. -Steve DolanFollow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 (Photo: Tom Mihalek/Philly.com) The Flyers may have a new captain soon. One of the leading candidates to wear the “C” is 25 year old forward Claude Giroux. Giroux opened eyes across the league last year with his 28 goal, 65 assist, and 93 point season. He capped off the season with a 17 point performance in 10 postseason games last year. The most impressive part of Giroux’s playoff performance was that he did it to the Stanley Cup favorite Pittsburgh Penguins who they ousted in six games. Now TSN has taken note of Giroux’s feats and his potential. TSN has named Giroux the 3rd best player in the NHL when listing the Top 50 NHL players. The only two players Giroux trails are the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The TSN staff had this to say,
“Making the biggest jump in the ranking was Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux, who moved from No. 25 in 2011-12 to the No. 3 spot. Last season, the 24-year-old centre and dominated the league in scoring for most of the season. He finished third overall in the running for the Art Ross Trophy and was also nominated for the Hart Trophy. Giroux ended the season the Flyers' top regular season point-scorer and their top playoff point scorer.” This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to Flyers fans and it was just a matter of time. Giroux is the heart of the Flyers team and it was never more apparent than in the first minute of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Penguins. -Steve Dolan
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 (Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Being without a captain and team leader is a difficult task for teams with championship aspirations. The Eagles were clearly lacking leadership, among other things, this season. The Flyers have not played with their captain on the ice since last November. But have we seen the next captain on the ice for the Flyers? Randy Miller of the Courier Post thinks we have. “Meantime, the Flyers likely will name a new captain before the season starts because defenseman Chris Pronger still is out indefinitely.
‘Obviously, we'll have a captain at some point,’ Holmgren said.
Officially, Holmgren will discuss the captaincy issue, but realistically star center Claude Giroux is a sure bet to wear the ‘C.’”
Giroux would certainly be a popular choice among fans and writers for the captaincy. He is a leader on and off the ice and is stunningly candid with the Philadelphia and national media. What does head coach Peter Laviolette think of Giroux? Miller goes on, “Asked about Giroux on Monday, Laviolette said, ‘Every step for him has been a step in the right direction as an elite player and certainly a tremendous leader for our club. ... I think that he certainly has established himself as a terrific leader in our locker room.’”
Well that certainly sounds like captain material. Giroux, 24, scored 28 goals and had 65 assists for 93 points last season in 77 games. He missed four games while suffering from a concussion last December after a collision with teammate Wayne Simmonds. Plus, how can a guy who can do this, not become the captain of your team? Other names tossed around by writers and fans to wear the “C” have been: Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell and Max Talbot. If it doesn’t go to Giroux, it will all but certainly go to Briere. Timonen is in the last year of his contract with the Flyers and, at 37 going on 38, is looking at retirement. Hartnell and Talbot have emerged as leaders on the team as well with Hartnell being the guy to text the rest of the Flyers to let them know the lockout was over at 5:30 am on Sunday. It is all but a foregone conclusion that the Flyers will have a next captain this season. No matter who it is, I’m just glad that we get to see them this season. -Steve Dolan
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 There is growing optimism around the country that the NHL and NHLPA will resolve the lockout soon and the season will get underway with a mid-January start. The sides are certainly close but they have been close in the past as well so practice caution with optimism. Nonetheless, the league must be prepared for a season if a deal is reached within the next week. Many believe that there still could be a 48 game season. Flyers fans are looking ahead towards January 19th which is the date that the season would start if a deal is reached. The Flyers are currently scheduled to take on the Calgary Flames at the Wells Fargo Center the afternoon of the 19th with Penn State taking on Vermont later that night. But the 48 game schedule means teams will only play in-conference opponents. With the January 19th opponent slated to change, would the NHL schedule the hated Penguins for the opening game? Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes that the NHL is, indeed, considering opening the NHL season with one of its most bitter rivalries.
“Though multiple sources said plans are subject to change, the Penguins likely would face the Flyers in Philadelphia for a nationally televised matinee on Jan. 19 if the NHL and its Players‘ Association agree on a new labor contract…
A 48-game schedule will preserve most of the previously booked arena dates, but matchups will change because clubs will play only in-conference opponents. Clubs would play seven games against division opponents and a home and road game against each of 10 remaining conference teams, the sources said.” The Flyers ended the Penguins season last year in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The series was highlighted by Claude Giroux and Sidney Crosby going at it, the lack of goaltending for both teams, and the continuous bad blood between the two teams. It made for great television and was exactly the kind of thing the NHL wants to capitalize on. It would certainly be the icing on the cake if the lockout ends with the Flyers taking on the Penguins in Philadelphia. -Steve Dolan
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 Today is the first day in a long time where there has been optimism surrounding the NHL. With a meeting going on now between the owners and players, people seem to be leaving the “cautiously optimistic” circle and entering the straight-up “optimistic” circle. For Flyers fans, the optimistic CBA news was coupled with good news from the team’s best player. Claude Giroux visited famous concussion specialist Dr. Ted Carrick in Atlanta last week after suffering a neck injury in Berlin in November. Carrick treated Penguins captain Sidney Crosby with his two concussions which had a lot of Flyers fans concerned about the extent of Giroux’s injury, especially after Giroux’s concussion history. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Giroux was back on the ice today skating for 90 minutes with Carleton University Ravens in Ottawa, Canada today.
“Giroux was on the ice for the full 90 minutes of the spirited workout, but he’s making no predictions on when he might possibly be ready to return to action, whether that’s in Philadelphia (if the NHL lockout ends) or back in Europe (if the lockout drags on).
‘It’s hard to say right now,’ said Giroux, who scored four goals and 15 assists in nine games with Berlin. ‘Obviously, I’m doing something every day to make sure I get back in game shape and I still have some things to make sure I’m 100 per cent.’” The 24 year old center scored 28 goals with 65 assists for 93 points last year in the regular season. In 10 postseason games, Giroux scored eight goals and tallied nine assists for 17 points which were the fourth most of any player in exactly half as many games as Kings forwards Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. -Steve Dolan
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 There was a big two points on the line tonight as the fourth place Flyers welcomed the eighth place Maple Leafs to the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers (31-16-7) were able to capture the two points in regulation as they topped the Leafs (28-21-6) 4-3. They were helped out by some solid play by Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes as he came back after allowing six goals in a 6-4 loss on Saturday to the New Jersey Devils. The win snapped a three game losing streak for the orange and black.
The first period started off with the referees getting involved quickly. Brayden Schenn got whistled for a high sticking penalty just 21 seconds into the game on what appeared to be his way of defending himself from the oncoming hit behind the Maple Leafs goal. The Flyers killed the penalty and just over three minutes later, Brayden Schenn’s older brother Luke was also whistled for high sticking and the Flyers took to the power play. Almost right off the draw, Kimmo Timonen beat Leafs goaltender James Riemer over his right shoulder but hit the post and the puck stayed out of the net. It was that close to ending the Leafs “no power play goal” streak in 2012. With five and a half minutes to go in the first the Flyers got on the board as Scott Hartnell beat Riemer for his 26th goal of the year. Rookie defenseman Erik Gustafsson got the assist after his shot hit Jaromir Jagr and redirected to Hartnell who put it through Riemer’s legs. Hartnell dropped his gloves with Dion Phaneuf after he scored and the two got five minutes for fighting. The Flyers would take a 1-0 lead to the locker room.
 The second period started with Tyler Bozak beating Bobrovsky off of a feed from Phil Kessel to knot the game at 1 just 54 seconds into the period. The Flyers would answer two minutes later when Max Talbot tipped Andrej Meszaros’ shot from the point by Riemer to put the Flyers up 2-1. After Andrej Meszaros was whistled for boarding, the Leafs took to the power play and non-other than former Flyer Joffrey Lupul lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs to tie the game again. Later, Claude Giroux took a high slot feed from Scott Hartnell and beat Riemer for his 21st goal of the year and his first non-empty net goal since the Winter Classic. One minute and 14 seconds later Brayden Schenn beat Riemer to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead. With just under two minutes remaining in the period, Bozak beat Bobrovsky again to cut the Flyers lead to one goal. They took a 4-3 lead to the locker room at the end of the second period. The third period was a lot of back and forth hockey but both teams failed to score and Schenn’s sixth goal of the year turned out to be the game winner for the Flyers. As stated earlier the loss snaps a 3 game losing streak for the Flyers who were 1-2-2 in their previous five games. The top line of Giroux (goal), Hartnell (goal and assist), and Jaromir Jagr (assist) combined for four points. The goals snapped six game goalless droughts for both Hartnell and Talbot. Hartnell extended his team lead in goals to 26. The Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 to maintain their four point lead in the division with two games in hand. The Flyers currently have the second most points in the Eastern Conference with 69 and are 3 points up on the New Jersey Devils in the division and conference. The Flyers are back at it on Saturday at 1:00 pm at the Wells Fargo Center against the very same New York Rangers. Check back on Saturday morning for your Whiz Wit Game Preview. -Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports Email: Dolan@WhizWitSports.com
Flyers All Star Claude Giroux comments after Friday's practice on his recent struggles and Jagr gives us his thoughts too.
 With the Flyers trailing 2-0 late in the second period to the New York Islanders, the Flyers superstar Claude Giroux dropped the gloves with Dylan Reese. The Flyers needed a spark and Giroux’s fight was hopefully what they needed. Unfortunately, this fight was not enough to spark the Flyers. Coming off of a concussion, I’m sure the Flyers bench, players and coaches alike held their collective breathes, especially as Giroux got taken down to the ice. Both land a punch or two, looks like a draw. Video below. -Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 Good morning! Hump day Steak and Eggs! The Flyers travel to Dallas tonight to take on the Stars at 7:30 on Versus. The Flyers might get their star center, Claude Giroux, back in the lineup for tonight’s game. More here. The Sixers wrapped up their home and home preseason series with the Wizards last night with a 101-94 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. They are slated to open their season Monday in Portland against the Trail Blazers. More here. Ohio State football is back in the news again for off the field issues. The NCAA, surprisingly, issued a one year bowl ban in response to the violations of improper player benefits last spring. More here. LSU head coach Les Miles has won the AP National Coach of the Year award for coach the LSU Tigers to the Number 1 overall seed, a 13-0 record, and a spot in the BCS National Championship Game on January 9th. More here.
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 Hump Day steak and eggs! The Flyers left Washington with a huge win last night over the Capitals. The Flyers won 5-1 as the team extended its six game win streak, Scott Hartnell extended his six game goal streak and Wayne Simmonds scored in his third straight game. More here. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren announced yesterday afternoon that Claude Giroux will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Giroux suffered the injury in Saturday night’s 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. More here. The Dallas Stars handled the New York Rangers 1-0 last night. The Rangers, three points behind the Flyers in the Atlantic Division with one game in hand, were trying to keep pace with the Orange and Black. Richard Bachman posted the shutout. More here. The Pittsburgh Penguin got rolled on by Detroit Red Wings 4-1. Daniel Cleary netted two goals for the Red Wings as the Penguins fall. The Penguins are three points behind the Flyers despite playing two more games than them. More here. Staying with Pittsburgh, Steelers linebacker James Harrison was suspended one game for his hit last Thursday on Browns QB Colt McCoy. Harrison is the first player to be suspended for a helmet-to-helmet hit. He is a repeat offender. More here. Syracuse University and head basketball coach Jim Boeheim are being sued by accusers of Bernie Fine for defamation. Boeheim verbally attacked the accusers back in mid-November when they stepped forward about Fine’s actions. The accusers cannot press charges because the statutes of limitations prevent them. More here.
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