NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Claude Giroux is hoping to get one souvenir in particular at this weekend’s NHL All-Star weekend.
A signed hockey stick from enforcer John Scott.
“I can’t wait to have a signed stick from him,” Flyers captain Giroux said. “I’m going to ask him, at least. I think it’s going to be a fun weekend and he’s going to be a big part of it.”
It’s been a wild ride for Scott, who earned a spot in Sunday’s All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena via an Internet fan vote.
Scott said someone from the league tried to talk him out of playing in the game. Soon after, he was traded from Arizona to Montreal and sent down to the minors.
But here he is in Nashville playing with the best players in the world.
“I think it’s good for the game,” Giroux said of the media attention. “The guys with that kind of role don’t really get noticed as much. I’m sure he’s going to enjoy the weekend.”
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So will Giroux, who will be playing in his fourth All-Star game. Bobby Clarke played in nine, the most of any Flyer. Former Flyer Bill Barber played in seven.
“I think the first one is always the nicest,” Giroux said. “You just go there and kind of learn from all the best players in the world. I think also the one in Ottawa. I’m kind of from there so it was pretty fun. My whole family was down there.”
Giroux, 28, made his first All-Star appearance in 2011 before returning in 2012 and 2015.
He’s still looking for his first win after falling in three high-scoring games: 11-10 in 2011, 12-9 in 2012 and 17-12 last year.
The smooth puck-handling center earned a spot on the Metropolitan Division team after posting 14 goals, 25 assists and 39 points during the first 47 games.
Metropolitan coach Barry Trotz got to know Giroux during the World Championships. They ran into each other again Wednesday when the Flyers beat Washington, 4-3, in overtime.
“He’s got a real quick wit,” Trotz said. “He likes to get in guys’ heads so I’m just going to tell him, ‘Be yourself.’ He always gets people off their game. He’s very deceptive in what he can do with the puck and I think he’ll be great to have.”
Giroux will face Florida veteran Jaromir Jagr of the Atlantic Division on Sunday. The Central will play the Pacific in the other 20-minute game and the winners will meet in a third-period final.
Giroux recorded career highs of 93 points and 65 points on a line with Jagr and Scott Hartnell in 2011-12. The captain tied a career-high with 28 goals that season.
“It was very good when I came from Russian and played with somebody with the skill he has,” Jagr said. “He’s got so much skill. Every year he should be in the top three in scoring.”
Giroux leads the NHL in points the last five years.
Dallas’ Lindy Ruff, the Central Division coach, gained more of an appreciation for Giroux while coaching him in the World Championships.
“He might have the quickest hands in tight of any centerman in this league,” Ruff said. “He can look left, pass right. He can look at the point and make a pass into the hole. And he’s got some of the most dynamic moves when he come in on a breakaway, shootout, you name it. There’s a reason he’s here.”
The All-Star game features a new three-on-three format this year. The NHL adopted a three-on-three overtime this season.
The Flyers are 8-4 in overtime games.
“We’re still learning every overtime,” Giroux said. “You kind of want to find a system that’s good for you and good for your team. You want to be patient, but at the same time you want to score that goal.”
Two of Giroux’s Metro teammates are Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang of archrival Pittsburgh. Giroux said it won’t be hard to bury the hard feelings of the rivalry, for one game anyway.
“I had a chance to play with (Pittsburgh’s Sidney) Crosby at the World Championship and you kind of learn from these kind of guys,” Giroux said. “The first three days were kind of weird. You go to the rink, you see them and you’re like, ‘Oh, you’re on my team?’ But he’s a great guy. I learned a lot from him and we were able to win. We have the same mindset, the same goal.”