Comments on: Does Eric Lindros Belong in the Hall of Fame?

By: michele

michele — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:05:25 +0000

yes, hey e?
how are you?
M
micheleseidman@mac.com

By: Mark Hadley

Mark Hadley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:06:08 +0000

I also was able to watch Lindros often(in fact, almost every game)-there was no more dominant player in the nineties.Check around for Forsberg fights on youtube to see how tough he was, or how many seasons he scored 30 goals,or how far he took the Flyers and Predators in the playoffs(when Forsberg was THE man on those teams,sans Sakic and Roy)The discussion that Forsberg was a better all around player than Lindros was and is a joke-He was a better passer,that’s it,sorry folks!!Swap LeClair for Sakic,Hextall for Roy, and Desjardins for Rob Blake and Flyers would have multiple cups.I laugh now whenever I hear that Ovechkin and Crosby are already among the greatest players ever-Compare their first 200 games against the big E’s-Lindros’ outdid both of them!Also, his 1st year with Blueshirts,he finished in top ten of scoring despite missing 10 games-many “pundits and experts” had him as MVP of the league until a December concussion slowed his season(I sure 98% of league would take that “decline,or that “off season”.He may not make the hall,but make no mistake,from 93-98 he was the most overall dominant player in the NHL!

By: Dave W

Dave W — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:24:40 +0000

if you compare 500 goals to 500 HRs, baseball never breaks the rule for sluggers with less than the latter total, while hockey has started to bend quite a lot, cf. the very good Cam Neely;

look at Don Mattingly or Dale Murphy, MVP winners and top-top players in the 1980s, but not long enough or statistically dominant enough for HoF voters

result: not going to the Hall

Lindros may fit in that category, although hard to find another NHLer with his dominant streak a la the 90s who is not in the Hall …

By: Mike DiFranco

Mike DiFranco — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:58:13 +0000

Lee, I certainly dont disagree with you…A few of the concussions were definitely his fault, a couple of them were flukes though….

Don’t get me wrong, I dont think he ever WILL be put in the Hall, but I think he should be…..especially when you consider the precedent set with guys like Gillies and Neeley.

Clarke voted yes cause he separeted the drama/personal feelings from his talent/play….I give him a lot of credit for that actually.

By: Lee Ferris

Lee Ferris — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:11:07 +0000

Some injuries can be chalked up to bad luck. Others can be attributed to the player’s inability to avoid them. Gretzky was one of the slightest players in the league, but was amazingly durable because he knew where everybody else was on the ice and thus, how to avoid them. Lindros went into high traffic areas with his head down consistently. He only changed to a smarter style of play after his concussion problems had become chronic, but by then it was too late. Talented player, but he didn’t play smart IMO.

It is an interesting debate but I seriously can’t see this guy getting into the Hall. The voters will keep him out on the basis of the baggage alone. It is amazing that Clarke would vote for him given all the crap thrown his way by the Lindros family.

By: Michael DiFranco

Michael DiFranco — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:58:07 +0000

Overrated??? Absolutely not, regardless of what you think about him…..Other than a championship (we can debate supporting casts forever), he delivered as advertised those years with the Flyers. During that time he was arguably the best all around player in the league…with Forsberg and Jagr. Jagr being one dimesnional I would put at #3 immediately and debate between the other two.

I agree with you that previously the hall was longevity, certain statistical threshholds, etc., However, I dont feel it is fair to penalize a player for injuries that they have little control over.

Statistics per game, he is there…..Impact on the game he is there, the only things he lacks are championships and longevity….Two things largely out of his control.

I am obviously bias though