Claude Giroux Gets Awesome Surprise From His Dad Before Playing His 1,000 NHL Game

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• Claude Giroux got a great surprise from his dad prior to his 1,000th NHL game
• Raymond popped into the locker room before the contest to help his son celebrate the milestone
• Read more NHL stories here

Thursday night was a fairly emotional one for Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux, who received the ceremonial silver stick ahead of the team’s contest against the Predators to commemorate playing 1,000 games in the NHL.

It was a fairly bittersweet occasion, as almost everybody in the building was aware that the captain’s 1,000th game with the only franchise he’s played for was likely also going to be his last; Giroux has been at the center of a number of trade talks in recent weeks, and it currently appears he’s on his way to being shipped off to the Panthers prior to Monday’s deadline.

Giroux acknowledged the mix of emotions after the game where he rightfully earned the first star despite not posting a single point, saying, “It was a fun night, but not really. I don’t get very comfortable with attention like that.”

We were treated to what was arguably the best moment of the evening before Giroux took to the rink, as he got an awesome surprise in the locker room ahead of the game after his dad Ray (who played four seasons in the NHL) made an unexpected appearance.

Flyers coach Mike Yeo invited the elder Giroux to read the starting lineup to the boys, and he made his way through the roster before capping things off by announcing his son would be out on the ice for puck drop.

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