Is Eric Lindros the most jacked and skilled NHL player of all time?

Nightmare1000

Registered User
May 1, 2017
261
16
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
When I see pictures of prime Eric Lindros it amazes me how great of a skater he was and his speed for how big he was. There is very few NHL players I can think of that look more like football players than hockey players and Eric Lindros is definitely the most skilled out of them. It would be insane to see how more athletic he would be coming up today with the improved training and equipment. Old guys like Thornton who have slowed down are still hard to knock off the puck even today. With the way the NHL rules are today I don’t anyone would be stopping a prime Eric Lindros. He is a guy that would probably transition to today’s hockey better than any former legend besides Lemieux from when he played due his size and athleticism. Why aren’t we seeing players like him in today’s hockey when hockey players are supposed to be getting bigger and more athletic.
 

OldManGroin

Registered User
Mar 9, 2018
42
38
When I see pictures of prime Eric Lindros it amazes me how great of a skater he was and his speed for how big he was. There is very few NHL players I can think of that look more like football players than hockey players and Eric Lindros is definitely the most skilled out of them. It would be insane to see how more athletic he would be coming up today with the improved training and equipment. Old guys like Thornton who have slowed down are still hard to knock off the puck even today. With the way the NHL rules are today I don’t anyone would be stopping a prime Eric Lindros. He is a guy that would probably transition to today’s hockey better than any former legend besides Lemieux from when he played due his size and athleticism. Why aren’t we seeing players like him in today’s hockey when hockey players are supposed to be getting bigger and more athletic.

Apparently according to rumours comming out of Muskoka lake, he was built in a lab and if he had to be tested, his urine could melt plutonium.

Hell of a hockey player though.
 
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Eisen

Registered User
Sep 30, 2009
16,737
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Duesseldorf
He was great, even though I hate his on ice behaviour, but most jacked? I don't know. I wouldn't sign that. There were plenty of freakish players in the NHL over the course of it's existence. I'm not even sure he has a lot on guys Brind'amour, Stevens or Pronger. And these are just contemporaries.
 

pucksakes666

Registered User
Mar 8, 2018
661
289
I met pronger a long time ago . He looked like a typical tall skinny person wouldn't think that he's 225.
 

artilector

Registered User
Jan 11, 2006
8,351
1,187
I think it might be possible to argue that Lindros had a particular combination of size, speed, physicality, and skill that nobody could exceed in ALL components simultaneously. However, IMO, there have been several players who were also extremely strong physically, while being far more skilled and therefore far more impressive.

I'd guess that if Lindros had been able to stay at/near his peak longer, he'd be roughly in the Forsberg/Ovi territory as a generational player with an impressive physicality component.

But to me, Jagr is the real (underrated) physical freak. He didn't use his strength to hit, but he was unrivaled in being able to do Gretzky-like things while having whole defenses literally hanging on his big rear end.
 

LightningStrikes

Champa Bay Lightning
Nov 24, 2009
26,164
9,963
Lindros was a beast. Not sure we will see a player with his combination of skill, soft hands and strength ever again, especially in today's NHL which is all about finesse and speed.

NoIKkll.jpg
 

Corto

Faceless Man
Sep 28, 2005
15,993
943
Braavos
Jiri Slegr was a weights freak on the Penguins back in 98 or so. He was a freak.

And he was the first guy to tell you he was like a child compared to Jagr.

Lindros played more physical, but Jagr was stronger IMO. And doubly so from the waist down, his thighs were huuuueeee (still are).
 

Chain Attack

Registered User
Aug 15, 2006
2,476
139
Lindros was big and skilled but Pavel Bure was pound for pound the strongest and most explosive athlete of that era. Therefore he would get my vote as the player most likely to succeed in today's nhl.
 
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puckpilot

Registered User
Oct 23, 2016
1,228
880
Sure he had great combination size and skill, but Jacked? A good physique is hardly a unique thing, even in the good old days. Bobby Hull says hi.

Hull.jpg
 

SotasicA

Registered User
Aug 25, 2014
8,489
6,404
Big Eric was one of, if not the most, jacked and skilled player ever. Bobby Hull is right up there, too.

Obviously a lot of roided up 90's bodybuilder type tough guys were bigger and badder, but they didn't possess the skill.
 
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JackSlater

Registered User
Apr 27, 2010
18,074
12,728
If I understand the point of the thread, then yes Lindros was the biggest and strongest of players who were skilled enough to be superstars. I remember reading a teammate say that it was very easy for Lindros to put on muscle so he had to really limit his lifting. I heard the same thing about Stevens.
 

PatrikBerglund

Registered User
May 29, 2017
4,628
2,654
There are probably 100 players with more skill than Lindros had. What made him stand out was the fact that he was huge and could still skate, pass and do a lot of stuff only smaller more agile players could.
 

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