Life came full circle for Eric Lindros when the Philadelphia Flyers retired 88 – his number for eight seasons in Philly – on January 18.
After more than a decade of icy feelings between him and the Flyers, he received the highest honor a team could bestow upon one of its former players. Lindros joins Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Barry Ashbee, Bill Barber and Mark Howe as the only Flyers to have their numbers retired in the team’s 50-year history.
“This evening has given me a chance to reflect and remember special moments, special people, and of course you, the amazing fans that support the Flyers of Philadelphia,” Lindros said to the sold-out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center, moments before his number was raised to the rafters.
Lindros was an offensively gifted physical player who was just as likely to bring fans to their feet by scoring as goal as he was by delivering a bone-crunching hit. Nicknamed “The Big E” for his 6’4”, 230 lb. frame, Lindros was the Flyers’ team captain for six seasons and was the most dominant forward in the NHL in the mid-to-late 1990s. He was also hockey’s first “investible” player; that is, the player that collectors and speculators would want cards of because of potential future value – much like Shaquille O’Neal was to basketball card collecting around the same time.
Read the full article at Sports Collectors Digest
Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Related Posts:
I will never understand why Lindros still gets heat for not wanting to play for Quebec. He told them not to draft him and they did so he held out. I do however, understand why he gets so much flack for his antics in Philly. He was. Grown man and his parents interfered like it was little league.
We’ll he screwed up Brindimour’s life (literally), and ran him out of Philly, so there’s that…..
Jim,
It was not Brindamours life he screwed, but it rhymes with life