Would've Eric Lindros' injury history been better had he played for another team than the Flyers initially?

[GarlicbreadTB]

Would it?

Considering the Flyers image of playing a hard game and all that + him being a bit of the lone warrior in the early days. Had he gone elsewhere would he have lasted longer and been injured less often? Or did the era of hockey doom him to being injury prone regardless of what team he was on?

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[MadLuke]

This is quite speculative, but Stevens nailed Kariya on the ducks and a 75 years old Ron Francis, I do not imagine him not playing Lindros hard on the Nordiques or Rangers (or D.Hatcher/Kasparatis, etc...)

Not making the playoff would have helped injury wise obviously, but we can assume any prime Lindros team (considering he a bit handpicked were to go in a non salary cap era) would have been in the mix.

 

[Brodeur]

The Stevens one is the one most people remember, but many people ignore the concussions that Lindros incurred earlier:

• Concussion No. 1: March 7, 1998 - hit by Pittsburgh's Darius Kasparaitis and missed 18 games.
  
  
  
• Concussion No. 2: Dec. 29, 1998 - hurt twice on one shift in Calgary and missed two games.
  
  
  
• Concussion No. 3: Jan. 14, 2000 - slammed by Atlanta's Chris Tamer and missed four games.
  
  
  
• Concussion No. 4: March 4, 2000 - a hit on Boston's Hal Gill left him dazed but he played four more games before entering the hospital and missing the rest of the regular season.
  
  
  
• Concussion No. 5: May 4, 2000 - practicing with the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms in his recovery, he collided with Francis Lessard and suffered a setback.
  
  
  
• Concussion No. 6: May 27, 2000 - New Jersey's Scott Stevens leveled him in Game 6 of the conference finals.

Unfortunately everybody was a little naive about concussions at the time.

 

[RegDunlop]

Yes

Quebec

 

[K Fleur]

Nah not if he played the same way.

Players were always going to be waiting for him to be in a vulnerable spot to take their shots at him with how he tried to bully everybody.

 

[sr edler]

Look what happened to his brother with the Isles. Eric was a smarter player than Brett, but still. These guys were built to play a certain way.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Unlikely...maybe if he was old enough to play in a softer league like the WHA. But he had blinders on, he wasn't a super smart player...he didn't need to be. He was a monster with great technical skills...with poor development, this is the result you get. It's not like he was going to play heads up hockey for the North Stars...

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

great technical skills...with poor development, this is the result you get. It's not like he was going to

makes me chuckle

so much for the best coaching daddy could buy

 

[Terry Yake]

no, because it wouldn't have changed how he played with his head down which made him susceptible to the big hits that cut his career short

 

[82Ninety42011]

Only way he survives a little longer is if he played wing. Guy just didn't look up guess bulldozing players his whole life couldn't adjust to bigger guys in the NHL. It's a shame really just imagine how good he could have been if stayed healthy.

 

[SenzZen]

Developed too many bad habits from years of playing against boys as a man(child). Once he got to the NHL the difference in size wasn't enough against guys who could skate and deliver the body.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Yes

Quebec

Unironically this.

He gets more nhl experience before the really heavy hitting era starts in the late 90s

And on that team he isnt getting zeroed in for the same level of physical attention when the next shift is Sundin, Sakic, Nolan...

 

[BraveCanadian]

I don't think so.. players were allowed to bean one another back then, and as the king of the hill, Lindros was in a live by the sword, die by the sword situation.

If he played today in the no hit league he'd be a lot better off because he could really play as well as lay the body. He'd still be deadly with his reach and ability to cycle today, and he skated quite well for a big guy.

 

[Moose Head]

I think he might be taken care of better by some other medical staffs but that’s by no means a sure thing.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

meh, his issue was skating with his head down not the Flyers

 

[tom leafers]

The Stevens one is the one most people remember, but many people ignore the concussions that Lindros incurred earlier:



Unfortunately everybody was a little naive about concussions at the time.

Christ i had one concussion and my brain has never felt the same i wonder how this friggen guy feels

 

[Brodeur]

Christ i had one concussion and my brain has never felt the same i wonder how this friggen guy feels

Lindros had a collapsed lung in 1999 too. As much as I didn't like Lindros in the moment, I wish he had been able to stay healthy.

 

[buffalowing88]

Unironically this.

He gets more nhl experience before the really heavy hitting era starts in the late 90s

And on that team he isnt getting zeroed in for the same level of physical attention when the next shift is Sundin, Sakic, Nolan...

Agreed. I wanted to play Devil's Advocate and you beat me to it. 90 percent chance that his playing style leads to a short career.

But if there's a 10 percent, it is on a squad that doesn't allow him to get honed in on. I remember as a kid hearing my dad and uncles at the Ground Round say that the Sabres would need to "crush" him if they wanted to win.

I also remember going to a sports bar (I have been trying to find the name for 25 years and still cant determine it) in Toronto with my parents right near the Air Canada Center in the mid-90s. The Flyers must have been playing Toronto because everyone at the bar/on the patio was cheering when he got knocked down.

He was the focal point of a team that was very much "in the news". He may have blossomed better outside of that spotlight.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Lindros had a collapsed lung in 1999 too. As much as I didn't like Lindros in the moment, I wish he had been able to stay healthy.

Lindros, and the Legion of Doom time especially, regularly embarrassed the Leafs badly.. so I didn't like him much, either. But you hate to see a guy go through what he did with his own organization's medical and management staff, and to suffer concussion symptoms even post career.

Interestingly, I hated Gretzky and the Oilers when I was younger because I thought they were cocky jerks when they came in and blew out the hapless Leafs of the time. It took a little maturity for me to really appreciate that they were really just THAT good.

 

[Crosby2010]

I think if he stays on Quebec pretty much everything works out better for him. How could it not? You've already got Sakic and Sundin on the team down the middle, you have Nolan on the wing and Kamensky is about to start his NHL career that season too. Quebec is on their way to being "scary good" with the addition of Lindros.

I think if he has more support it helps, and he definitely has that on the Nords. He wouldn't change his style by any means so you have a likely shorter career as it is, but not everyone could just blitz and go after Lindros all of the time. I don't know if the Nords go 1-2-3 with Lindros-Sakic-Sundin as their centres or if they go 1-2 and put Sundin on the wing, but either way you have two really good lines and it gobbles up more attention away from Lindros who really didn't have anyone on Philly to absorb some punishment.

Remember how Ovechkin played his first 5 years in the NHL? Even in the kinder gentler NHL of his era I figured eventually Ovechkin's body would wear out and he'd really "get it" one of these days. But he changed his style and toned down the physical stuff and look at him now playing his 19th season.

Also, you had some toughness on the Nords. Nolan is the obvious one, but if you look down their line up you've got Tony Twist on the team, Adam Foote was starting out, Steve Finn was on the team, and even John Kordic was there. Not that Lindros needed a bodyguard, but I suspect there is plenty of guys to stand up for him and sort of police how he is being treated. Regardless though a player Lindros' size would be tested but I think Quebec is easily a better fit for him. We all know that team was moving upwards. Also, he's out of the Eastern Conference and sees the likes of Stevens and Messier and co. a lot less. It was a little more wide open in the Western conference those days.

 

[MadLuke]

The biggest variable metionned I think with the Nords would be playing the 1991-1992 season in the nhl, traded to rangers instead of Flyers can be quite moot, but being a 18 years old nhler maybe it change.

By fall of 1992 Lindros was already stronger than almost everyone in the nhl it could feel like, a year before maybe it is less true and force some change.

Joe Sakic presence and leader influence would not hurt as well obviously, instead of going to a captain less team and being the big focus right away.

 

[oilexport]

Came back too early from injuries. Bobby had a hand in that. Sid took all the time in the world to clear his head.