Blast from the past: Why wasn't Claude Giroux a staple for Team Canada?

[slapKing]

Claude Giroux is one of the best players of his era, but during his prime, he wasn't one of the major defining players for Team Canada back in the 2010s. He was left off from the 2014 team. He was initially not selected for the 2016 WC team. It had to take a World Championship appearance of the same year for him to finally join the team, and even then, he only played 1 game in the tournament. 2018 the players couldn't attend the Olympics that year, but suffice to say the chances of Giroux joining the team were pretty low if NHLers were allowed to go that year.

Of course, Canada won in 2014 and 2016, and that's fine, but the question is, why wasn't Giroux given a chance at the highest level of international hockey? What did he lack per se compared to his Canadian centre counterparts of that era?

 

[jigglysquishy]

Rumour in 2014 was that Crosby asked he not be named to the team. The 2012 Flyers Penguins series carried a lot of bad blood.

In 2014, he was arguably the second best Canadian forward after Crosby. Especially with Stamkos' injury.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Canada at that time was rolling out 8+ hall of famers in their forwards group, so the completion for places was intense, even for a potential future hall of famer like Claude Giroux

 

[ORRFForever]

Sid hated him. (not sure if that's correct but that's been the rumour for years)

 

[SOLR]

Giroux is also not a good enough skater.

He never was.

 

[the valiant effort]

As with all petty things Hockey Canada they definitely held his absence from the 2013 orientation camp against him.

It’s also true, as mentioned, that there was no shortage of big-time forwards during that period.

 

[JackSlater]

Well realistically Giroux has two chances, in 2014 and 2016. I do think that Giroux should have made it, but people don't consider how Canada's teams are usually made and what types of players usually get cut. Playmaking centres often struggle to make team Canada, even hall of famers. Federko, Savard, Turgeon, Spezza - never made team Canada at the best on best level. Francis only made it late in his career after he got a stat boost from playing with Lemieux and Jagr. Yzerman got cut in 1987 and somehow in 1991. Giroux was behind Crosby (obviously better), Getzlaf (the incumbent, possibly better, brings variety as a physical centre, built in chemistry with Perry), and Toews (taking on defensive responsibilities. That left him basically one spot. In 2014 you can make the case that Tavares was better, and I'd certainly say that he was at least held in higher regard. Giroux was coming off a disappointing season and missed the summer camp in 2014.

In depth roles Canada usually likes versatile guys or guys with a standout physical attribute (size, skating etc) and it probably hurt Giroux that he lacked any notable physical attribute. In terms of playing on the wing, Canada very rarely takes playmakers on the wing. This is why St. Louis didn't make the team in 2010 or 2014. I still think that Giroux's defensive play made him versatile enough to take a depth spot, but obviously Yzerman disagreed.

I do think that Giroux would have made the 2018 Olympic team as a winger, rendering this thread moot in that situation... but I don't think he would have been a lock despite how strong he was that year.

Rumour in 2014 was that Crosby asked he not be named to the team. The 2012 Flyers Penguins series carried a lot of bad blood.

In 2014, he was arguably the second best Canadian forward after Crosby. Especially with Stamkos' injury.

I have never seen that rumour other than random fans saying it once in a while. Has any mildly legitimate source ever said it?

 

[Nucks2001]

He should have. I’m glad Hockey Canada at least gave him some Justice at the 2016 WCOH. He 100% should have been on the 2014 Olympic roster over Kunitz (failed experiment and proved why you always take the best player).

I think it was a mixture of Crosby not wanting him on the Olympic Team, him missing the orientation camp, and Canada wanting bigger wingers in their bottom 6 with guys like Carter, Marleau, Benn. For those saying Giroux wasn’t versatile enough, we’re talking about a 55% FO taker at the time, a premier PKer on the Flyers, and he could play both C and RW.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

If there are any legs to that Crosby thing, I’m surprised much hasn’t made about that against the “good guy” persona Sid has built over the years.

Where did that rumour originate from?

 

[Crosby2010]

Giroux if I recall had the most points in the NHL from 2011-'16. Maybe even from 2010. That's a 5-6 year span. That is actually pretty incredible. There were injuries to Crosby, Malkin and then of course Ovechkin had that lull in his career for a couple of years. But that's still impressive. He is one of those guys that you know his stat line, you know the things he brings to the table (eg. could easily play wing) and he had some good postseasons leading up to 2014. But while he got more points than other Team Canada players can you say he is necessarily better or more valuable? Because he has been one of those players in history where he makes any other country's team but with Canada you just think maybe he is too mundane to make the team. I don't know if that fits him, but even as I speak right now there is a decent case for him to make the HHOF someday but he has just always seemed like a player whose stats look better than what we saw on the ice. Maybe someone is with me on this but that's just how I feel. In 2018 considering he had a 102 point season and was a 2nd team all-star I would say the odds of him being on the Olympic team would have been strong. And let's keep in mind, along with St. Louis he was constantly talked about as a player that seemed snubbed from the 2014 Olympics (although they added St. Louis after the Stamkos injury). There are just some players a coach doesn't care for as much. For some reason Keenan had a bone to pick with Yzerman. How you leave him off the 1991 team is beyond me. I am not saying Giroux was at that level quite, but it was a surprise to see him left off the 2014 team. In 2014 he was in the middle of a season where he would finished 3rd in Hart voting.

And as others have mentioned, Crosby is king, Toews was right in the middle of his two-way career and he was winning Cups at that time. I wouldn't take Getzlaf off of that team over Giroux because Getzlaf always played well in the big games. Does a smallish playmaking centre fit here afterwards? Tavares could play the wing, Stamkos' speed was too much to like as well. Look at Adam Oates, you can't tell me he wasn't good enough to be on the 1991 Canada Cup team. He had a heck of a year in 1991. But there are times when a coach just looks at a guy like that and wonders where he fits. I get the feeling Giroux had that going against him as well. And let's not forget, the stacked rosters up front in 2014 and 2016 were hard to penetrate.

 

[Peiskos]

If I'm not mistaken he was on the 2015 IIHF WC gold team, Crosby was on that team too. Canada just had a lot of depth as is, he easily could have been on the 2014 Sochi team or the 2016 World Cup.