Claude Giroux says getting booed in Pittsburgh were ‘best games to play’

Claude Giroux has some fond memories of playing in Pittsburgh.

Claude Giroux knows a thing or two about regional rivalries.

The longtime Philadelphia Flyers captain had his fair share of showdowns against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Battle of Pennsylvania, and he’s getting a taste of the Battle of Ontario in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs boat-raced Giroux’s Ottawa Senators 6-2 in Game 1 on Sunday night, much to the delight of Scotiabank Arena. The Toronto faithful were raucous all night long, including some chants directed at Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

Tkachuk said after the game that he expected it and couldn’t care less about the chants. And yeah, you can’t exactly blame him after his team got beat 6-2 against one of their biggest rivals.

Many of the Senators players were asked about the “Brady sucks” chants in Toronto ahead of Game 2, including Giroux. The grizzled veteran said he views it as a compliment to Tkachuk and shared his memories of getting booed in Pittsburgh.

“In my eyes, it’s a compliment for Brady. They don’t do that if he actually sucks,” Giroux laughed. “I’ve got booed in Pittsburgh before, and I’ll be honest, it was the best games to play.”

Giroux has played 70 games against the Penguins in his career. He’s been over a point-per-game player against Pittsburgh with 21 goals and 55 assists for 76 points in those 70 contests.

The former Flyer had plenty of notable moments against the Penguins throughout his career, but perhaps none more memorable than The Shift in Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Coincidentally, Giroux’s comments on Tuesday came on the 13th anniversary of that iconic moment.

Giroux is now hoping to help his Senators to battle back against the Leafs in their first-round series. Game 2 is set for Tuesday night in Toronto before the series shifts to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4 later this week.