Live From the 2012 Winter Classic: Eric Lindros Among Flyers Alumni That Bring Back Memories

Just like it was 15 years ago, John LeClair shot down the wing on a 2-on-1 with Eric Lindros on the other side of the ice, looking to receive a pass. As the defenseman bit, LeClair coolly flipped a saucer pass across the ice to watch Lindros fire it past a flailing goaltender, culminating in a multitude of fans leaping to their feet with their arms raised high.

It seemed as if a dam had been lifted, allowing memories to rush back like a stream of water, to the pleasure of over 1,000 fans in attendance at the Flyers Skate Zone and to the players themselves. Eric Desjardins, Brian Propp, Joe and Jimmy Watson, Orest Kindrachuk, Bill Barber, Bernie Parent, Neil Little, Jeremy Roenick, Lindros, LeClair, and others, entertained fans for just under an hour as the Flyers alumni took to the ice for practice before heading to the locker room to speak with the media – with smiles on their faces as if they had rekindled the extinguished flames that were once vibrant NHL careers.

“What a great showing for us old guys,” Roenick exclaimed. As he spoke you could see the glow in his eye, like a child finally getting to meet a boyhood idol. “You talk about this weekend as being a celebration, but having something like this – bringing back guys like Clarkie, Bernie [Parent], [Rick] Tocchet, it really is historic. It’s a humbling experience being here with some of these guys. Seeing Eric and John, guys I battled against, this is a really good step back in time.”

“I had a good time,” Lindros said with a Don Cherry-like smirk as he peered around the locker room to examine the historic faces he had just laced up with. “Saw some old people. Big turnout for a little get-together.”

When asked about the fan turnout for the alumni skate, Lindros began to answer, but paused ever so briefly and looked up, deep in thought. In just a split second, the memories of the prime of his career – centering the famous “Legion of Doom” with LeClair and Mikael Renberg, the line that combined for 305 goals and 666 points in just over two seasons together – appeared in his mind like a movie reel. “I’m not surprised,” he finally muttered, a grin forming at the corners of his lips, perhaps thinking of the great times he shared with millions of Flyers fans for almost a decade – including a Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, a Stanley Cup final appearance, and enough highlight reel plays to fill a YouTube account. “Flyers fans are so supportive of their team.”

“Flyers fans are like that,” LeClair chimed in from the next stall. “They really enjoy this and support us.”

As the media dispersed, Lindros sat, enjoying a few laughs with LeClair, Bob Kelly, and more. He signed a few pucks for the organization, a picture for Kelly, and a jacket for Reggie Leach’s young grandson, who was puttering around the locker room as if he were just mesmerized by a shooting star. As little Leach stared at the behemoth of a man (6-foot-5, for those that do not recall), Lindros talked with him about school, about treating his teachers right, doing his homework and catching up on the work he is missing by being here for the festivities. The tyke walked away like he had been given a message from God himself, while Lindros craned his head around the room. He took one last look at the legends and role players that donned the Orange and Black before, with, and after him. The former league MVP slowly walked out of the Philadelphia Flyers locker room, as he had done so many times.

 

Alan Bass, a former writer for The Hockey News and THN.com, is the author of The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk That Changed The NHL Forever. He has worked for the Philadelphia Flyers’ Fan Development department, going to schools throughout the tri-state area to teach about fitness and the importance of teamwork. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College Division II hockey team as well. You can contact him at Alanbasswriting@aol.com.

Top Players in Flyers’ History: No. 8 Eric Lindros

This article is going to feature many YouTube videos, because Eric Lindros’ career is filled with amazing highlights.

Unfortunately, they are not all good highlights.

This one is a compilation of how much of an all-around player Lindros was when he came into the NHL.

Eric Lindros was the most touted played since Mario Lemieux when the 1991 NHL Entry Draft was coming.

The problems with Lindros’ teams started well before he was in the NHL.  When he was drafted first overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Lindros had already stated that he was not going to play for the Greyhounds.  Owner Phil Esposito drafted him anyway, and wound up trading his rights to the Oshawa Generals.

In Oshawa, Lindros tore up the league, scoring 97 goals and 119 assists for 216 points in just 95 games played.  At the end of his OHL career, Lindros’ number 88 was retired by the Generals.

Before the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Lindros had also stated that if drafted by the Quebec Nordiques, the team with the first overall pick, he would not suit up for them, “citing distance, lack of marketing potential, and having to speak French” (Wikipedia).  The Nordiques drafted him anyway, and said that if he was not going to play for the Nordiques, then he was not going to play at all in this league.

Then, in 1992, the Nordiques had finalized trades with the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers for Lindros.  After much fuss, an arbitrator ruled that the Flyers had the rights to Eric Lindros.  The trade with the Rangers would have included Lindros being traded for Doug Weight, Tony Amonte, Alexei Kovalev, John Vanbiesbrouck and three first round draft picks (1993, 1994 and 1995) and $12 million.

The epic trade that has gone down as one of the worst in Flyers’ history went as follows:  Eric Lindros to the Flyers for Peter Forsberg, as well as Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, a 1st round selection (Jocelyn Thibault) in 1993, a 1st round selection (later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, later traded to the Washington Capitals – Nolan Baumgartner) in 1994, and $15,000,000 cash.

Eric Lindros immediately dominated the league, and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in the lockout shortened 1994 season.  He was even ranked 54^th on THN’s list of top 100 hockey players of all time, and he had only played six seasons!

However, things quickly went south for the superstar center.  Not only did he start having problems with General Manager Bobby Clarke, but his health deteriorated as well.

This is one of many concussions that Scott Stevens had given to Eric Lindros throughout Eric’s career.  Lindros also had problems with team doctors after the Flyers’ training staff had failed to realize that Lindros had suffered a collapsed lung.

The Flyers’ staff continued to have problems with Lindros, and even after stripping him of his captaincy, he still did not shut up.  He and his father seemed to want out of Philadelphia, and after years of problems and numerous concussions, Bobby Clarke finally executed a trade between the Flyers and the Rangers, a deal in which the Flyers got significantly less than they gave up to get Lindros in 1991.

In his NHL career, Lindros scored 372 goals and 865 points in 760 games, 659 of those points being with the Flyers.  He is indeed one of the best Flyers’ to ever put on the orange and black of the team.  Even though there were many problems, there is no argument that Lindros changed the team for the better for at least the first few years of his career, and is number eight on this list of top Flyers’ in history.

This is the third part of a ten part series.  Stay tuned for the rest of the series!

Alan Bass is a writer for The Hockey News and THN.com. In addition to writing for Inside Hockey and Pro Hockey News, he has also worked for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College hockey team as well. You can contact him atBergHockey24@gmail.com.

Top Players in Flyers’ History: No. 9 John Leclair

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If you score two overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Finals, and your team wins the Stanley Cup, you aren’t going to want to leave, right?

Well, John Leclair really didn’t have a choice.

Traded to the Flyers in 1995 along with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne for Mark Recchi and a third round pick, Leclair’s life was on the rise.

However, let’s start by taking a look at his hockey life before the NHL.

John Clark Leclair was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1987 33^rd overall.  He graduated from Bellows Free Academy High School, and was one of the most highly touted recruits in the United States when he committed to the University of Vermont. He played there for four years, and then signed with the Canadiens after he graduated.

He scored his first NHL goal less than a week after signing his first pro contract, and scored seven points in ten games in his first season.

His most successful season was the 1992-1993 season in which he scored 44 points in 72 games, but when he was traded to Philadelphia, he had no idea how much his stats were going to jump.

He was immediately paired with a young phenom named Eric Lindros and another player named Mikael Renberg.  In his first full season with the Flyers, Leclair scored 51 goals and 97 points, both career highs that still stand for him.

He continued to have three consecutive 50-goal seasons while playing alongside Eric Lindros, the talented, big center who carried the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, only to be swept in four games.

After the lockout, though, Leclair was more of a liability than a talented player, forcing the Flyers to buy him out to save cap space.  He was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played a little more than one season before being let go.  His career numbers are as follows: 967 games, 406 goals, 413 assists, 819 points, and 501 penalty minutes.

He won the NHL’s plus/minus award in 1997 and 1998, and the Bobby Clarke award as the MVP of the Flyers in 1997 and 1998.  He was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1995 and 1998, and the second team in 1996, 1997, and 1999.  He played in six All-Star games, and won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

He is also the president of the John LeClair Foundation, which awards grants to non-profit Vermont organizations that sponsor programs for children.

LeClair is one of the best players ever to put on a Flyers’ jersey, and unfortunately, was hurt by both the Lindros-Clarke affair and the lockout.

However, he has earned his spot as the ninth best Flyer in team history.

This is the second part of a ten part series.  Stay tuned for the rest of the series!

Alan Bass is a writer for The Hockey News and THN.com. In addition to writing for Inside Hockey and Pro Hockey News, he has also worked for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College hockey team as well. You can contact him atBergHockey24@gmail.com.