Eric Lindros

1973-

Canadian hockey player

Though considered one of the most talented players to ever play in the National Hockey League (NHL), Eric Lindros has had a controversial career from his days in junior hockey. Some believe that he has never fully realized his potential as a player. A power forward in the truest sense, Lindros has size (6'5"; 220 lbs), strong skating ability, a scorer's touch, and is a master of physical play. However, he has also had numerous injuries, including a series of concussions, that affected his abilities. In addition, Lindros had public run-ins with the management of the team that drafted him (Quebec Nordiques) and the team he spent much of his career with (Philadelphia Flyers), that left his public image tainted.

Lindros was born on February 28, 1973, in London, Ontario, Canada to Carl and Bonnie Lindros. He had a

younger brother, Brett (who also became a professional hockey player, though his career was cut short because of concussions), and younger sister, Robin. Lindros's father was an accountant who had played minor league hockey in the Chicago Blackhawk system as well as college football at Western Ontario University. His mother was a nurse who had been a track athlete in high school.

When Lindros was seven years old, he began playing hockey in a youth league in London. It soon became evident that he had outstanding abilities, and he was motivated to play from an early age. He was better than most players his age. But hockey was not the focus of Lindros's life. His parents ensured that he had outside interests, including playing the trumpet, and that he took summers off from hockey. The family moved to Toronto when Lindros was ten, and it was there that he played Junior B hockey for St. Michael's College in Toronto.

Refused to Play for Greyhounds

When he was fifteen, Lindros was drafted number one by the Junior A Ontario Hockey League. He was selected by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, for which Wayne Gretzky had played. Lindros was not allowed to play for them because his parents did not want him to go there. They believed the travel involved in playing for such a remotely located team would negatively affect his education.

Instead, Lindros chose to play for the less prestigious North American Junior Hockey League. He played for the Detroit Compuware team based in Farmington, Michigan, and attended a local high school. Though he was playing against lesser talent, he was already regarded as one of the best young players in hockey. His future general manager, Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers, told Jay Greenberg of Sports Illustrated, "He's the best 16-year-old player I've ever seen. He could play in the NHL right now."

After graduating from Farmington High School in January 1990, Lindros was left with several options because of his talent. He had a scholarship offer to play for the University of Michigan. Instead, Lindros was allowed to play Junior A hockey for the Oshawa Generals near his Toronto home, after the Greyhounds traded his rights (for three players, two draft picks and cash) to Oshawa because of a rule created just to service him.

Lindros spent the second half of the 1989-90 season with the Generals. In twenty-five games, scored nine goals and had nineteen assists. But his refusal to play for the Greyhounds still had repercussions: he was derided about the situation. He also had to deal with much physical play because he was so much bigger than the other players. He was often challenged and had to defend himself. Lindros stuck it out and played well. In the full 1990-91 season, Lindros had seventy-one goals and seventy-eight assists. In addition to hockey, Lindros also attended York University on a part-time basis.

Chronology

Drafted by Quebec

By the time of the 1991 NHL draft, the first Lindros was eligible for, he was the clear cut best player available. As Joe Lapointe of the New York Time wrote, "The scouts and press clippings say Lindros has the size of Mario Lemieux , the earning potential of Wayne Gretzky, the potential impact of Bobby Orr and the mean streak of Gordie Howe ." The first pick of the draft was held by the Quebec Nordiques, a team Lindros publicly stated he would not play for for a number of reasons. It was a last-place, small market team, there were ethnic and political tensions in the French-Canadian city, and he would have to pay high taxes.

Despite Lindros's stance, Quebec selected him with the first pick. As he stated before the draft, Lindros refused to sign with them. He had some leverage as he already had endorsement deals, and had the option of not turning professional for several years, letting Quebec's hold on him run out. Lindros sat out the 1991-92 season, returning to the Oshawa Generals. In 1992, he also played for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics and in Canada Cup play. In the former, Lindros contributed five goals and six assists to silver medal victory for Canada.

Rights Traded to Flyers

At the end of the 1991-92 season, Quebec gave in to Lindros's demand and began negotiating a trade for his rights. A number of teams were interested, but when the trade was finally made, there was again controversy. The Nordiques traded his rights to two teams, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, at about the same time in a confusing timeline. This created a mess that had to be settled by an independent arbitrator. The Flyers came away with the rights to Lindros, giving up $15 million, five players (Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Peter Forsberg), and other considerations. This fiasco changed some procedures in the NHL concerning trades. The Flyers signed Lindros to a six-year $21 million deal, at the time the biggest in the NHL.

In his first two seasons with Philadelphia, Lindros played well but not to his full, huge potential. He was still a teenager with many expectations on him. He had injury issues (sprained knee first year and torn ligament in his right knee in his second) and missed forty-two games over both seasons. Lindros did set a rookie record for the Flyers by scoring forty-one goals in his first season, and was second place in NHL's rookie of the year voting. Though Lindros did not play the full 1993-94 season and the Flyers missed the playoffs, he still managed to score ninety-seven points. While it took time for him to adjust, Lindros was not intimated and had fun. Bruce Wallace wrote of his style of play in Maclean's, "On the ice, he is a menacing presence to opponents: a marauding, extremely physical player with spectacular scoring skills and a locomotive drive to win at all costs."

Breakout Season

The next season was shortened by strike. Lindros began the season by taking classes at the University of Western Ontario, where he practiced with the university's hockey team. After the strike was settled, Lindros had his best year as a professional. He had the most points in the NHL with seventy (tied with Jaromir Jagr ). He was also named captain of the team. With teammates John LeClair and Mikael Renberg, he played on the Legion of Doom line. In the playoffs, the Flyers made it to the Eastern Conference finals where they lost to New Jersey Devils—who eventually won the Stanley Cup. Lindros won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player, and almost won the scoring title.

Awards and Accomplishments

Related Biography: President and General Manager Bobby Clarke

One of Eric Lindros's early champions who later became one of his biggest adversaries was Philadelphia Flyer general manager and president Bobby Clarke. Through Clarke and Lindros had a solid relationship when Clarke came to the Flyers as general manager and president in 1994, their relationship disintegrated in the late 1990s. He made Lindros sit out a year as Clarke waited for the right deal to trade his rights. Clarke had been with the Flyers in some capacity for over thirty years.

Clarke began playing hockey as a child and put up impressive numbers as a junior player for the Flin Flon Bombers of the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. Because he suffered from diabetes, NHL teams shied away from him. Still, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1969, and played his way on to the team at that fall's training camp. By the early 1970s, he became a prolific scorer and was named captain of the Flyers. As one of the notorious "Broad Street Bullies," as the tough Philadelphia team was known, Clarke won three Hart Trophies, one Selke Trophy, and two Stanley Cups, among other honors.

After retiring as a player in 1984, Clarke was named the Flyers general manager, a position he held until 1990. He then took the same position for two years with the Minnesota North Stars (1990-92), returned to the Flyers as senior vice president (1992-93), then joined the expansion Florida Panthers as vice president and general manager (1993-94). But the Flyers remained Clarke's primary team. He again returned to the Flyers' front office in 1994, when he was named president and general manager. Clarke was not afraid to take chances as a general manger during his second stint with the Flyers, firing a number of coaches and waiting for the right deal to come along before trading Lindros. Though he received some public criticism, Clarke stuck to philosophy of doing what was best for the Flyers. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for his playing accomplishments in 1987.

By this time, Lindros was regarded as a great player with a long career ahead of him. Teammate Shawn Antoski told Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated, "There's no one else in the league who's capable of scoring 50 goals and using you as a speed bump." Lindros was seen as having a mean streak and a chip on his shoulder, qualities which appealed to the Flyer fans who had the Broad Street Bullies in the 1970s.

Played in Stanley Cup Finals

During the 1996-97 season, Lindros had seventy-nine points in fifty-two games, another career high. Though he did not get along with his coach, Terry Murray, Lindros and the Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup finals. Philadelphia struggled defensively. The team was swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings, and Lindros did not play as well again. Murray was fired, and Lindros shouldered some of the blame.

Lindros was also accused of not playing well at the World Cup games, where Canada lost to the United States in 1996. While he was captain of the 1998 Canadian Olympic team, one favored to win the gold, the Canadians did not medal at all. Again, Lindros was accused of not being the leader he could be. The 1997-98 NHL season was also a struggle for Lindros. He missed eighteen games because of a concussion, and only had seventy-one points. In the 1998 playoffs, the Flyers were eliminated in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres in five games. Lindros only scored one goal and two assists in the series.

While Lindros took the blame for the playoffs, the Flyers struggles were not all because of Lindros. Yet his injuries and high profile leadership position put a strain on his relationship with Flyers GM Bobby Clarke. As a restricted free agent, Lindros further enraged the team by spurning the team's offer of a five-year $42 million deal, and only taking a one-year contract extension that took him through 1999-2000. Beginning in the 1998-99 season, Lindros and Clarke traded shots in the press.

Lindros began the 1998-99 season by playing well, and very physical. Yet he played a cleaner game with fewer retaliatory penalties. He did have a major concussion in January, 1999, which knocked him out. While the Flyers were pushing for a playoff spot, Lindros struggled as a player before suffering a bizarre injury. During a game against the Nashville Predators on April 1, 1999, Lindros suffered a collapsed lung, and nearly died from blood seeping into his chest cavity. Because of his injury, he was unavailable for the playoffs and the team again lost in the first round. This was again seen as Lindros's fault, and there was talk of trading him.

Concussion Problems

Despite the public feuding with Clarke and growing number of concussions, there were still high expectations that Lindros would win a Stanley Cup with Philadelphia. He continued to put points on the board (scoring 600 points in 429 games), but the team was in turmoil. Coach Roger Neilson had to leave the team for cancer treatment, and was replaced by Craig Ramsay. Neilson was later fired and not allowed to return as promised to coach in the playoffs. Before the end of the regular season, Lindros was stripped of his captaincy and had another major concussion. He publicly criticized the team's medical staff for allegedly mishandling his injury, his fourth concussion in two years and his fifth known head injury. While Lindros did return for playoffs, he suffered another concussion on May 26, 2000, when Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils leveled a massive open ice hit on him in the Eastern Conference Finals. This was Lindros's sixth concussion in twenty-seven months. He never played for the Flyers again.

Because of his concussion problems, Lindros could not even think about playing before November 2000. He was a restricted free agent whose rights were held by the Flyers. Lindros demanded a trade, and publicly stated that he would only play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers and Clarke would not trade his rights. Lindros kept fit at home, but sat out the entire 2000-01 season.

Career Statistics

Rights Traded to Rangers

Spurned by the Maple Leafs, the rights to Lindros were traded, with his approval, to the New York Rangers.

He received a four-year deal worth $38 million. Though Lindros wanted to play for a contender, which the Rangers were not, he was happy to play with Mark Messier , his childhood idol and captain of the Rangers. Lindros himself was named an alternate captain.

When Lindros began playing at the beginning of the 2001-02 season, he was very rusty and did not play as hard as he had in Philadelphia. He would not use his size to open up the middle as much and gave up big hits. While he showed flashes of his brilliance, he still retained his bad habit of carrying the puck with his head down, leaving him vulnerable to big hits. He suffered another concussion in December 2001. Until then, the Rangers and Lindros were playing well, but after, Lindros was content to play on the perimeter. Though the Rangers did not make the playoffs, Lindros did play for Team Canada in the 2002 Olympics. He was a key player and contributed to Canada winning the gold medal.

In 2002-03 season, Lindros still had moments where his skills showed, but it was tempered by his other problems. He was benched early in the season by new coach Bryan Trottier for taking bad penalties. He was suspended for one game for illegal use of his stick. He also had a long scoring drought, a problem on a team that was struggling to win games despite its many talented players. When Lindros did score, he showed he had the touch, despite all the issues surrounding his career. Of a goal against the Phoenix Coyotes, Messier told Jason Diamos of the New York Times, "That was a typical Lindros goal. Hard forecheck. Beat somebody out of the corner. Carry somebody on your back. Then score a goal."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o New York Rangers, 2 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10121.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY LINDROS:

(With Randy Starkan) Fire on Ice, Harper Collins, 1991.

(With Greg Brown) Pursue Your Goals, Taylor Publishing, 1999.

(With Tom Worgo) "One last shot?" Sport (February 2000): 52.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Macmillan Profiles: Athletes and Coaches of Winter. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2000.

Periodicals

Alexander, Rachel. "Lindros: Healing, Waiting." Washington Post (April 30, 1999): D5.

"Big and tough and turbocharged, Eric Lindros, 17, ices the competition as hockey's next superstar." People (February 4, 1991): 60.

Bloom, Barry M. "Flying high." Sport (February 1996): 69.

Bloom, Barry M. "The next one?" Sport (November 1997): 64.

Bondy, Filip. "Hockey; Lindros Moves to Broad Street, Not Broadway." New York Times (July 1, 1992): B7.

Brady, Erik. "Lindros dreams of gold, silver." USA Today (February 13, 2002): 1C.

Callahan, Gerry. "The complete package." Sports Illustrated (June 2, 1997): 62.

Deacon, James. "Coming into his own." Maclean's (May 8, 1995): 64.

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: For Lindros, Frustrations Continue to Increase." New York Times (November 11, 2002): D10.

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: Lindros Tries to Adjust with a Restrained Style." New York Times (January 14, 2002): D8.

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: The Rangers Already Have Cause for Concern." New York Times (October 13, 2002): section 8, p. 10.

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: Rangers Win, and Bure and Lindros Aren't Strangers." New York Times (November 20, 2002): D4

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: Scoring Slump Continues as the Rangers Lose." New York Times (November 17, 2002): section 8, p. 8.

Diamos, Jason. "Hockey: Things Look Up for Rangers, Until Penalty Shot." New York Times (December 6, 2002): D10.

"Dropping the gloves over Eric." Maclean's (March 5, 2001): 27.

Farber, Michael. "Heads Up." Sports Illustrated (October 15, 2001): 60.

Farber, Michael. "Looming large." Sports Illustrated (October 9, 1995): 78.

Farber, Michael. "Team Turmoil." Sports Illustrated (April 10, 2000): 62.

Fisher, Red. "Lindros a sad situation for all." Gazette (January 5, 2002): F3.

Fleming, David. "Over and out?." Sports Illustrated (May 11, 1998): 106.

Grange, Michael. "With Hockey in Limbo, Lindros Goes Back to College." New York Times (December 4, 1994): section 8, p. 9.

Greenberg, Jay. "The face of the future." Sports Illustrated (December 11, 1989): 86.

Gulitti, Tom. "Lindros Injects Life into Rangers." Record (Bergen County, NJ) (March 31, 2002): S8.

Kilgannon, Corey. "Hockey: Trottier Enlists Lindros in Bid to Revive Rangers." New York Times (November 5, 2002): D4.

Lapointe, Joe. "Be It Canadian or U.S., It's Money to Lindros." New York Times (June 22, 1991): section 1, p. 31.

Lapointe, Joe. "Grasping Stardom at Age 17." New York Times (March 19, 1990): C1.

Lapointe, Joe. "Hockey: In a Dispute with Trottier, Lindros Is Benched." New York Times (November 42002): D2.

Lapointe, Joe. "Hockey: On Ice with the Big Boys, Lindros Does Little Wrong." New York Times (August 20, 1991): B11.

Lapointe, Joe. "Hockey; N.H.L. Guard Changes Amid Lindros Uproar." New York Times (June 23, 1992): B14.

Lapointe, Joe. "Hockey: Rangers Push to the Front of the Line in Bid for Lindros." New York Times (June 20, 1992): section 1, p. 31.

Lapointe, Joe. "Nagano '98: Wearing C, for Canada." New York Times (February 1, 1998): section 8A, p. 5.

Montville, Leigh. "Young gun." Sports Illustrated (September 23, 1991): 44.

O'Brien. "On ice: for now, the career of junior hockey star Eric Lindros." Sports Illustrated (March 23, 1992): 90.

"Put Up or Shut Up." Sports Illustrated (December 28, 1998): 46.

Scher, Jon. "Pass the pacifier." Sports Illustrated (October 26, 1992): 50.

Sell, Dave. "Lindros Wields a Big Stick at Early Age." Washington Post (September 29, 1992): E1.

Stein, Joel. "Lindros: The Best of Canada." Time International (January 31, 2000): 42.

Thomas, Robert McG., Jr. "Hockey; Eric's in Orange: Lindros Signs a $22 Million Pact with Flyers." New York Times (July 15, 1992): B9.

Wallace, Bruce. "Lucky Lindros." Maclean's (September 9, 1991): 34.

Yannis, Alex. "Hockey; Lindros Called Good for Business." New York Times (July 1, 1992): B11.

Other

"Bobby Clarke, President and General Manager." Philadelphia Flyers Web Site. www.philadelphiaflyers.com (December 14, 2002).

"Eric Lindros." ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/statistics?statsId=88 (December 14, 2002).

Foreman, Chris. "Bobby Clarke." LCS Hockey. www.lcshockey.com/archive/greats/clarke.asp (December 14, 2002).

Sketch by A. Petruso