In The Hockey News' Top 90 of the ’90s edition, Eric Lindros made the ranking of the best NHL players in the era thanks to his ferocity. But he did more along the way.
Flyers icon Eric Lindros made a huge impression on the hockey world. The Hockey News writer Michael Traikos put the spotlight on Lindros in the Top 90 of the ’90s issue as he looked back on his amazing NHL career:
No player epitomized the rock ’em, sock ’em era of the ’90s NHL quite like Eric Lindros.
He was a beast who blended physicality with finesse. Before there were personal trainers and protein shakes, there was ‘The Big E,’ a 6-foot-4 and 240-pound mound of muscle who looked like he was ripped from the pages of a comic book.
Lindros used his impressive frame and ferocity to power his way to the NHL, by first refusing to play for the Quebec Nordiques as a No. 1 pick overall and then physically dominating the league as a four-time 40-goal scorer who averaged nearly 140 penalty minutes a season.
Along the way, he won a Hart Trophy and – more significantly – brought awareness to concussion research and care.
No question, the 1980s belonged to Wayne Gretzky. But in eight short seasons, Lindros took a big chunk out of the ’90s. And yet, when the 51-year-old looks back at a time when he led the Philadelphia Flyers to three conference finals and a trip to the Stanley Cup final, the first word that comes to mind isn’t domination. Rather, it’s regret that he never accomplished all that he could have.
“Did we win?” Lindros asked. “No, we didn’t. And that’s the frustrating part.”
Indeed, those Flyers teams were built to win. At the very least, they were built to invoke fear in their opponents. Ron Hextall was their goalie. Aside from Lindros, who took over as captain in his third year, they also had Mark Recchi and Rod Brind’Amour.
Lindros played mostly on a line with 6-foot-2, 235-pound Mikael Renberg and 6-foot-3, 235-pound John LeClair. The trio was appropriately named the ‘Legion of Doom.’ And they just didn’t bring size – they also brought intensity.
“John and ‘Renny’ practised extremely hard,” Lindros said. “Practices are so important, and if your intensity level in practice is really high, then it’s going to carry over into games. It’s inevitable.
“I remember we were in Tampa Bay for an exhibition game, and ‘Renny’ had missed a couple of chances to score. And remember, it’s an exhibition game. But after the game, he’s in the corner where the sticks are, and he’s snapping sticks left and right and swearing. I just thought, ‘I love this guy.’”
Philadelphia shared in that love – for a while, at least. But eventually, the fans grew frustrated with a team that was perennially among the best in the regular season but kept coming up short in the playoffs. In the 1997 post-season, the one time they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup final during Lindros’ tenure, they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
“We had some really good teams,” Lindros said. “Obviously, going to the final. And losing to Jersey in Game 6 (of the 1995 Eastern Conference final). We had a good team in a pre-salary-cap era. I’m still frustrated.”
Coming up short in the playoffs was only part of the frustration. There were also the injuries. And concussions. Too many of them to count. When you use your body like a wrecking ball, as Lindros did, you’re going to get hurt. Unfortunately for Lindros, who never could stay healthy, he also missed a lot of time with a lot of injuries that might have been prevented had we known then what we now know now.
This is an excerpt from Michael Traikos' feature story on Eric Lindros, which appeared in The Hockey News' Top 90 of the ’90s issue. In the story, Traikos speaks to Lindros about his amazing hockey career and how he was when the Flyers stripped him of his captaincy for criticizing the team failing to diagnose a concussion.
In this video, Adam Proteau talks about another sport Lindros played in his youth:
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