PHILADELPHIA – If you outshine the two best players in the world, what does that make you?

Claude Giroux.

The title comes and goes. The argument never ends. But Giroux made his case the way he led the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-1 victory Sunday, eliminating Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins – the favorites to win the Stanley Cup – in the first round.

It wasn't just his goal and three points in the game. It wasn't just his six goals and 14 points in the six games, one short of the franchise record for a playoff series, set by Tim Kerr in 1989.

The Flyers took a 3-0 series lead. After they lost Game 4, 10-3, Giroux declared it unacceptable. After they lost Game 5, 3-2, he smashed his stick over a crossbar. Before Game 6, he had a request for coach Peter Laviolette.

"When the best player in the world comes up to you and tells you, 'I don't know who you're planning on starting tonight, but I want that first shift,' that says everything you need to know about Claude Giroux right there," said Laviolette, knowing full well what he was saying about Giroux himself. "He was so adamant that he wanted that first shift that the line matchups didn't matter at that point. He wanted to get out on the ice. He wanted to make a statement."

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Wells Fargo Center was full of nervous energy. Even the standard anti-Crosby chants seemed a little unsure. What if the Penguins scored an early softie on quirky, leaky goalie Ilya Bryzgalov? What if they kept rolling? What if this went to Game 7?

What if the Flyers blew this?

Giroux lined up for the opening faceoff. Seconds later, he crushed Crosby right in front of the Pittsburgh bench. Thirty-two seconds in, he ripped a wicked wrist shot inside the left post. The Flyers led, 1-0.

They were not going to blow this.

Giroux assisted on the next two goals as the Flyers built a 3-0 lead. He logged a lot of ice time, as usual. He even blocked a couple of shots, as the Flyers blocked 40 in front of Bryzgalov, leaving nothing to chance.

He led; his teammates followed. Danny Briere said he was "possessed." Max Talbot said "he's got a thing in his eyes." Jaromir Jagr cracked that he doesn't look in Giroux's eyes, but Giroux is the Flyers' "top guy" and no one should be surprised.

"We were talking about getting a good start, and obviously that was a great start," said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen. "To me, he's the best player in the league right now. He's our motor and engine. When he goes, we go."

And so the Flyers are going to the second round.

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Giroux grew up in Hearst, Ont., a lumber-mill town of about 5,000 some 10 hours northwest of Toronto. It is blue-collar Canada, where people work hard and love hockey. His father, Raymond, was an electrician. His hero, Steve Yzerman, was the captain of the Detroit Red Wings and a Stanley Cup champion.

"He wasn't my idol because of the stats," Giroux said. "He played with a lot of heart. He's the definition of a winner, I think."

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