By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux has a pedigree for the NHL.
Giroux never saw his father, Rejean, play for the WHA's Quebec Nordiques in his native Quebec City. But most of the Nordiques' NHL games he watched at Le Colisee were against the Pack's predecessors in Hartford.
"It's funny that every time Dad got me Nordiques' tickets they played the Whalers," said Giroux, who remembered Dave Tippett, Kevin Dineen and Ron Francis.
Giroux says Dad's expertise from the pros has gone a long way to helping him become the Pack's leader in goals (30) and power-play goals (13), tying him with Jeff Hamilton for the points lead (51) entering tonight's showdown at the Civic Center against the first-place Manchester Monarchs. He has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in the last 10 games.
"My dad didn't want me to be a tough guy and talk to the ref for 10 minutes, but Mom said he used to do it all the time," said Giroux, whose father once scored 58 goals in 57 games. He also played with Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur on the Memorial Cup champion Quebec Remparts in 1970-71. "But he helped me with a lot of things off the ice. He was like having a second coach in the stands, especially on how you have to approach the game and what an NHL team wants. If it wasn't for my dad, I wouldn't have made it to here."
Rejean Giroux, who played against Pack assistant Nick Fotiu in the North American Hockey League, now scouts for Montreal. Alexandre has continued to increase his production each season, starting with Hull of the Quebec junior league, and was Ottawa's seventh-round pick in 1999.
"I feel I've progressed every year, and that's always what you want to do," said Giroux, 23, who is among the team leaders in plus/minus (+14) and penalty minutes (124, a career high). "I'm pretty pleased with the little details, like the defensive zone, forecheck and physical play, that people don't always know or see. I still need to improve things like winning battles along the boards and getting the puck out."
Giroux was surprised when he was traded from Binghamton to the Rangers March 9, 2004, learning of the deal from a friend's a phone call. But he has looked at it as a better opportunity to reach the next level, since the Senators have so many top young prospects.
"I was doing well and had good chemistry with [former Pack coach John Paddock]," Giroux said. "When you get traded, you don't know if you didn't please the team you played for or if the other wants you real bad. I liked to believe the other team wanted me and realize it's the best thing that could happen to me."
Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld and coach Ryan McGill say Giroux has a good shot to be with the Rangers next season, provided there is a next season for the NHL.
"He has what a lot of people are looking for and is understanding more and more that to score on a consistent basis you have to play the rest of the game on a consistent basis," Schoenfeld said. "If you finish your checks, are better in the defensive zone and skating hard, you generate more chances. His greatest level of growth has been improving his level of consistency, but it's also where he still has the most room to grow."
Like Schoenfeld, McGill noted Giroux has the hand skills, skating ability, instinct, physicality and courage to reach the next level but has to learn to push himself to the maximum every shift, which is a major difference between the NHL and AHL.
"He has a knack for finding open space so we can get the puck to him, but I'd like to see him bury a few more," McGill said. "He's a natural goal scorer who has to get stronger and be consistently hungry every game and every day in practice by going to the hard areas. He has really learned how to support the puck, but to play in the NHL, he needs to be consistent in those areas every day."
Pack Sign Genoway
The Pack signed forward Colby Genoway to an amateur tryout contract, and he'll play with Giroux and Layne Ulmer. Genoway, 21, was the leading scorer (13 goals, 31 assists in 44 games) for North Dakota, which lost 4-1 to Denver in the NCAA final Saturday. He'll replace Craig Weller, who sustained a concussion in a 2-1 loss to Providence Sunday.
