His rookie year, the Grand Master, Bob Clarke himself, showed up one morning at Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J. and started working with Claude Giroux on faceoffs.
Back in 2008-09, the skinny, little runt from Hearst, Ont., lacked the size and strength to even outmuscle the aging Clarke in a faceoff circle. No matter.
Clarke talked about the little intangibles on how to win draws. Where your stick is pointed. How close to the ice. The angle. The opponent. How to cheat and get away with it.
He showed me some tips, Giroux said. Just little details you would not think about. To hear from him, that was good.
Giroux played just 42 games that rookie year, but his faceoff percentage was a very respectable 47 percent for a part-time player.
Since then, the Flyers 24-year-old pivot has steadily improved every season in winning the draw.
As the Flyers prepare to engage the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, Giroux is nestled in at fourth in the NHL in faceoff percentage at 53.1 percent.
NHL
Its important to read the centerman you are against, Giroux said. How is he going to read it? How is he going to try and win it? I think that is pretty much most importantwho you go against. Sometimes, you go against a good guy or bad guy. You have to adjust.
In 11 of his last 13 games, Giroux has won over 50 percent of his draws. There is an old saying in hockey: win the draw, you start with the puck.
Lose the draw and youre chasing the play.
Its taken Giroux a couple of seasons to adjust his style. Mike Richards, who was a guy Giroux looked up to on draws, used to say, it took a couple of years in the league before officials knew him and allowed him certain liberties in the faceoff circle that would help him win draws.
Giroux says hes seen that first hand. The officials now give him some leeway, as well. Its calledcheating.
Yeah, once in a while when you cheat, Giroux said. If you have a winger, who can win it, too, you can cheat a little bit and have a more of a power to win it. If you are a good cheater, those are the best centerman.
In most cases, its about getting an angle on your stick down first before the draw to block the other center. Giroux learned that the hard way from someone in San Jose.
I remember when I did faceoffs against Joe Thornton, he would cheat all the time and win the faceoff, Giroux said. He was so good at cheating he would not get kicked out.
It made me realize I have to cheat a little here. He was quicker. Just before the puck drops, his stick was already blocking my stick. The ref cant do anything because it is so quick. You got to be able to do that.
Richards used to say there is a respect factor of earning the right to cheat on draws for a veteran player.
Obviously, the more you practice faceoffs, you get better, Giroux said. Its more about who you are going against and youve got to know what youre going to do.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net