Captain 1,000: Flyers salute Claude Giroux in potential final days

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The party planned for Claude Giroux’s 1,000th game with the Philadelphia Flyers seems appropriately lavish for a team captain who has spent his entire career with the franchise.

The Flyers will celebrate Giroux and his family before Thursday night's game and have invited special guests of honor. Giroux will be gifted custom artwork, fans can purchase commemorative tickets and players will wear warmup jerseys with "Giroux" and No. 28 on the back.

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If that hasn’t whet the appetite for a bash 15 years in the making, perhaps this will: Giroux’s favorite snack — grilled cheese sandwiches that he superstitiously used to eat before every game — will be on sale on every level of the arena.

The night should be a celebration of a career that includes 291 goals, 900 points, a trip to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final and this season’s All-Star Game MVP trophy.

But not-so-deep-down, all involved know what the ceremony is really about — it’s time to say goodbye.

Giroux’s 1,000th career game with the Flyers could be his last in orange and black for the 34-year-old center as he plays out the final months of his contract. The NHL trade deadline is 3 p.m. EST Monday, and with the Flyers in last place (18-30-11; 47 points) in the Metropolitan Division, the obvious parting gift is to send Giroux to a contender.

Giroux and the Flyers publicly have tried to downplay trade talks as the 1,000-game milestone looms, but the breakup seems all but inevitable. Giroux finally gets to chase the championship that has eluded him, while the Flyers could get the draft picks and prospects needed to restock a failing roster. The