Is Flyers Captain Claude Giroux a Hall of Famer?
So the Flyers nightmare season has come to an end. While teams that didn’t make the dance are turning their head to the end of season awards and the draft, I want to look even farther into the future to ask a question that every Flyers fan has asked once or twice in their lives. Is captain Claude Giroux a Hall of Famer?
As I said, I’m not the first person to ask this question, but in my quest to answer it I have found myself pouring over data and statistics, courtesy of Hockey Reference (whoever runs this site should be knighted), to try and do the impossible. And that is finding out some way to quantify what makes a hall of famer, and then apply that to Claude Giroux.
Unlike a sport like baseball, hockey doesn’t have a single aspect that draws a hard line between what does and doesn’t make a Hall of Fame caliber player. Even hockey reference’s version of baseball win shares, dubbed Point Shares, is incredibly inconsistent among current Hall of Famers.
Think 1000 points is your golden number? Not quite. Several players have eclipsed the 1000 point mark and not made it in, with some players even being snubbed north of 1200. On the other side, a handful of forwards like Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros have found their ways into the hall with point totals below the 1000 point mark, albeit barely in Kariya’s case.
So that’s my problem. How do you know what does or doesn’t make a Hall of Famer? Well, I have no idea. Ultimately what makes a Hall of Famer is that the members of the selection committee say that you are. Still, with a little bit of math, a little bit of elbow grease, and a whole lot of guesswork I think I can generally approximate what qualifies someone to make the cut. For simplicity’s sake, I am going to narrow it down to three general categories: The Numbers, The Hardware, and The Impact. So enough setup, let’s get into it.
On the surface the numbers are the most basic of the three qualifications. Does a player have enough raw production in his career to warrant enshrinement in the Hall of Fame? The first initial wrinkle in this is the old WHA numbers and international competitions factor in, though for simplicity I’ll largely be putting these aside. Raw production wise, the main three numbers that jump out are Goals, Points, and Games Played.
Guys that kick around forever have a better chance of getting in, even if their points percentage isn’t as high. Similarly, a player with lots of goals can make up for a slightly lower overall point total, though finding a way to have a good balance of all three is a key component in getting in.
As far as Giroux stacking up in this category, I would have to say he’s close, but maybe not quite there yet. Assuming he retired today, G’s 858 points would have him in some inconsistent territory. With a year left on his contract, and years of play beyond that it is certainly possible, if not likely, that he significantly improves here. But as of now, his numbers don’t leap off the page as a no doubt Hall of Famer.
While the numbers are a basic but sneakily deceptive category, hardware is basic and stays that way. This is the primary way that players whose counting stats might not be up to snuff make up some ground. Individual awards like the Hart, All-Star selections and the almighty Stanley Cup can give a player an extra leg up on someone who ends their career with an empty trophy case.
And unfortunately for the Captain, Claude’s trophy case is anything but full. Having been a member of a turbulent Flyers era that saw no sustained success, and inconsistent playoff appearances, Giroux hasn’t been able to find the deep playoffs since his early career, and a lack of media coverage has hurt his awards success. Despite some stellar seasons, Giroux has been snubbed by the awards voters, garnering only one All Star selection and three top 5 Hart votes, including one in his 102 point 17-18 season, a snub that makes my blood boil to his day.
The final, and least grounded of any of the qualifications is impact. You may be asking what that means and to answer that you must look within. Was a certain player important enough for long enough to warrant being in the Hall? A guy like Pavel Bure is a great example. His counting stats aren’t all that outstanding, good don’t get me wrong, but not otherworldly. A pair of Rocket Richard trophies certainly helps, but Bure gets in not because of any grounded reason, but because he deserved it.
So does Giroux deserve it? Well, polling around gives the same mixed results everything else has. My perpetually pessimistic father says no. My close friend says maybe. I’m not sure myself. He’s been the captain of a team I love for longer than anyone else. He’s been on the cover of the NHL video game. He had the fourth most points of any player in the 2010s, behind three of the greatest players of my lifetime. He’s third all time in Flyers points, second in games played and assists, ninth in goals. His name is etched across Flyers history, probably forever.
So is Claude Giroux going to be a Hall of Famer? Ask in three years and my answer will likely be very different, but right now I’m not sure. My heart says yes, but the lack of counting stat superiority and the total lack of individual hardware is a definite sticking point. I don’t think anyone would be upset if he made it in should he retire today, but I certainly wouldn’t guarantee it.
One thing will never be in question though. Claude Giroux is one of the greatest players ever to wear the Orange and Black. And he’s got plenty more left in store.