Giroux and Hershey teammate Keith Aucoin became the AHL's dynamic duo. Aucoin was the brilliant playmaker, while Giroux was the league's best sniper.
Giroux arrived in 2006-07, scoring 42 goals and helping the Bears reach the Calder Cup finals. He then erupted to twice lead the AHL in goals, scoring 60 in 69 games in 2008-09 (and a league leading 97 points) and 50 in 69 games in 2009-10.
Both seasons Hershey won the Calder Cup. Both years Giroux led all playoff scorers in goals and points
“Those were two amazing years in Hershey, and to win two championships in a row, that’s something exceptional,” said the sharpshooter known for his dynamic wrist shot.
He also was quick to give credit to his linemates, especially Aucoin.
“I don’t really know, but it all started from the first game together; we just gelled right from the start. Obviously, he’s a very smart player and finds guys when they get open. That made it very easy for me because all I had to do was find the open spot and he would get the puck to me. Also, you can’t forget Andrew Gordon and Graham Mink’s part in it. They were both hard-working guys who would get Keith the puck, and Keith would get it to me and I was the finisher. It turned out to be a good system.”
Giroux loved his time in Hershey, but he left in 2010 hoping to find a spot with the rebuilding Edmonton Oilers.
“I did get a good offer from them, but I also got a lot of good offers from a lot of other teams, and I was also looking at some offers from Europe,” said Giroux. “I decided to stay over here and try to make it in the NHL. It wasn’t about the money in Washington or Edmonton. I made my decision to sign with Edmonton because I knew they were rebuilding and I was just trying to find a team that had a spot for me in the NHL, and I thought Edmonton was the best fit.”
It didn't work out in Edmonton, either, as he got into only eight games with the Oilers. Despite all these impressive numbers at the AHL level, Alexandre Giroux never found a home in the NHL. He played in just 48 NHL contests (scoring six goals and six assists) with New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 771 career AHL games Giroux scored 368 goals and 704 points, making him one of the best AHL players of the modern era. He left for Europe in 2013.
“It has been really different but overall a great life experience,” he said. “The hockey , the life style, I decided to come overseas because I think I needed a new challenge, something different of what I was used to in North America.”
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