-Vintage Canuck- Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 37-year-old remains the last Conn Smythe winner from the losing team in a Stanley Cup Final: One of the few players to win a Conn Smythe despite losing the Cup Final is ready to hang up the skates. On Monday, reports of J.S. Giguere’s looming retirement surfaced — per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie — suggesting the 37-year-old goalie was set to end his 18-year career, pending conversations with both his agent and the National Hockey League Players’ Association. A former first-round pick of Hartford (13th overall, 1995), Giguere played for the Whalers, Flames, Ducks, Leafs and Avalanche, with most of his success coming during a 10-year stint with in Anaheim. His finest season came during the 2002-03 campaign, when he went 34-22-6 with a .920 save percentage, 2.30 GAA and eight shutouts during the regular season…then went on a playoff run to remember, posting an eye-popping .945 save percentage and 1.62 GAA in 21 games as the Ducks eventually lost to the Devils in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. In winning the Conn Smythe that year, Giguere became one of just 16 goalies to win the award and, as mentioned above, one of just five players to capture playoff MVP despite playing for the losing team in the Cup Final. Four years after that famous postseason run, Giguere would win a Cup win Anaheim, backstopping the team to the ’07 championship over Ottawa. After leaving Anaheim, he reinvented himself as a quality veteran backup, which included a stellar ’11-12 campaign in Colorado when he made 32 appearances while posting a .919 save percentage and 2.27 GAA. http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/26/report-avs-giguere-set-to-retire/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absent Canuck Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I always liked Giggie, the Michelin man . Pioneer of multi-layered bubble wrap for goalies. All kidding aside. He is a class guy . Well liked by team mates and rivals alike. I wish him well in his retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absent Canuck Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 ^^^ LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiggs50 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I still remember the finals between Ducks and the Devils in 2003. Giguere was a monster. Had one of the best goaltending performances in the playoffs ever. Stevens nailing Kariya comes to mind as well. The good old days.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rypien37 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Fondest memory: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/j-s-giguere-calls-out-avalanche-teammates-1.1358361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Stamkos Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Pretty sure everyone knew about it by now. Didn't Selanne do one last lap with him towards the end of the season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vintage Canuck- Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 Pretty sure everyone knew about it by now. Didn't Selanne do one last lap with him towards the end of the season? Yup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 He was the only Hartford Whaler left in the NHL, but now he is gone. Had a great career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuck-Shot Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 One of yge first roy clones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coconuts Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 I'm surprised, I'm sure he had some more hockey left in him. Good or him though, he had a stellar career. The bit with the Leafs was the only blemish I can think of. Hope he enjoys his retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure1994Mclean Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 There seems to be a whole lot of player retirements lately but I think this has had the biggest impact for me. I still remember back when I first started watching hockey in the season of 02-03. We had beaten St. Louis and had advanced to the second round and everything seemed so promising for us for a serious run at the cup with the WCE at their peak, but we all know how it would ultimately end. I continued to follow the NHL playoffs to the very end and every step of the way hoping to my heart's content the Wild would get eliminated for knocking us out of the playoffs. This ultimately would come to fruition when they would face the Mighty Ducks in the next round and a huge reason for that was the stellar play of J.S. Gigure, who played lights out that round and the next, so much so that the goal-tender of the losing team was awarded the Conn Smythe, my mind was blown! He instantly became my first ever favorite goalie (that wasn't a Canuck, and for anyone who wants to know who was my first it was Alex Auld lol, what can I say? I jumped on the Cloutier hate train early lol). And as every kid that's played hockey has done at one time or another, I still remember pretending to be 'JS Gigure' when playing ball hockey with my friends. During that cup run the Ducks essentially became my team for the duration and ever since that series I've held that grudge against the Wild for it, although I must admit with time it has been fading away though I don't believe it will ever truly dissipate. It might be the nostalgia speaking but I look back on that time with a fond perspective and hope he has a great retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure1994Mclean Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 I still remember the finals between Ducks and the Devils in 2003. Giguere was a monster. Had one of the best goaltending performances in the playoffs ever. Stevens nailing Kariya comes to mind as well. The good old days.... Well said, the man played possessed and seemed like he tried to single handedly win the cup for the ducks. And oh man, it's sad now with all the awareness about concussions and to see where it's lead for Paul Kariya's career, but to see him lying on the ice...and minutes later come back and score in the manner that he did is unreal. Gotta be one of the greatest moments/calls in hockey, "Off the floor, on the board, Paul Kariya!", give me goosebumps just thinking about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ebTSeDGsds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthNinja Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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