To me, not playing for Quebec was a dumb move and the only validated red mark on his file. Not reason enough to keep him out of the Hall.
Sucks he got injured and obviously wouldn't wish him anything other than a good life post hockey, but the author of that article makes it seem like the NHL is doing something wrong because players get concussions. Rory Boylen from THN tweeted a good quote this morning in response to a hit from last night...
"Hate seeing a guy get hurt. Tired of hearing how a physical game is too physical." I think that sums it up. A guy getting injured sucks. But this is a fast paced, violent game. People are going to get hurt, just like in football. Cheap shots. Clean shots. Whatever. And when guys get hurt, being professional athletes with money potentially on the line, they are going to want to get back as soon as they can. That may not be the smartest thing for them to do, but that is not the NHL's (or anyone else's) fault.
Well, if the NHL is pushing people to return early then it's their fault.
Though I doubt any sports league in the West is doing that anymore.
They'll never be a player in the NHL like Lindros....ever
also, I've been saying for years that the league needs a bigger ice surface. Maybe not longer, but definitely wider.
Ever is a long time. I just hope the next one is not a Mama's boy. And I was a big 88 fan.
In terms of hall worthiness... the guy was, for 7 years, one of the greatest players and point producers ever to play the game.
1992-93 to 1999-00
GP G A P PPG
Mario Lemieux 228 205 275 480 2.105
Jaromir Jagr 575 328 504 832 1.447
Eric Lindros 486 290 369 659 1.356
Teemu Selanne 564 346 383 729 1.293
Pat LaFontaine 278 135 219 354 1.273
Joe Sakic 553 264 429 693 1.253
Peter Forsberg 393 142 349 491 1.249
Paul Kariya 376 210 254 464 1.234
Wayne Gretzky 488 145 449 594 1.217
Pierre Turgeon 537 263 390 653 1.216
Pavel Bure 448 291 237 528 1.179
Adam Oates 582 181 501 682 1.171
Steve Yzerman 583 240 419 659 1.130
Alex Mogilny 511 269 298 567 1.110
Sergei Fedorov 515 238 331 569 1.105
Ron Francis 609 185 488 673 1.105
Mats Sundin 606 272 381 653 1.078
Brett Hull 561 308 294 602 1.073
Mark Recchi 616 247 407 654 1.062
Theo Fleury 611 260 381 641 1.049
Mark Messier 549 200 373 573 1.044
Him and Jagr were for several years the best two forwards in the NHL by a mile.
Plus he was such a unique, different player, there will never be another player like Lindros.
Edit: sorry for the ***** formatting... copied from a notepad doc instead of what I would usually do and write it in!
Before I read the article last week, I'm pretty sure I was close to turning the corner on the headshot/concussion issue, but didn't realize it. The article just made it click. One year ago I absolutely would have defended the Gryba hit to the death and would have said it's ridiculous for him to get even one game. I've been afraid the league would start to look like a kiddie league. But now I think that was a huge overreaction. I think it'll be fine with just making an exception for that one type of play involving that one body part. I don't think there will ever be a shortage of immensely satisfying hits like B Schenn on P Martin. And if they do decrease a little in frequency, they'll just be that much more exciting when they do happen. Same principle behind preferring hockey to sports where there's tons of scoring (and the mild "good job, go team" cheers that accompany each score).
I think Lindros, needs to be accepted by Philadelphia again. I think most reasonable people understand that injuries derailed his career, and injuries are totally treated differently nowadays. Crosby sits out a concussion and returns when hes totally ready, nobody in Pittsburgh destroys him etc. I think Lindros being at the Alumni game really changed things, atleast for me personally it was really nice to see him skate again in a Flyers uniform. I think him being entered into the Flyers HoF should really be the first step, well before the NHL HoF IMO.
The turning point for me with Lindros came sometime in 2005 when a high schooler from back home died because they got concussed in a car accident, then the next day (while home from school) they practiced heading a soccer ball by letting it roll off a roof. That was the "wow, I guess concussions are serious business" moment for me.
During an April 1, 1999 game against the Nashville Predators, Lindros suffered what was diagnosed as a rib injury. Later that night, the teammate he was sharing a hotel room with, Keith Jones, discovered Lindros lying in a tub, pale and cold. In a call to the Flyers, the trainer was told to put Lindros on a plane that was returning to Philadelphia with injured teammate Mark Recchi. But Jones insisted that Lindros be taken to a nearby hospital and it was discovered Lindros had a collapsed lung caused by internal bleeding of his chest wall. Lindros' father wrote the Flyers a letter in which he stated that if the trainer had followed team orders, Eric would be dead, a statement supported by the doctors who treated him in Nashville.
With the reception he got at the WC alumni game, I'me pretty sure he's accepted by Philly now