Eric Lindros had a Hall of Fame career, but you wonder what might have been had concussions not cut short the power forward’s prime.
“The Next One” played with a chip on his shoulder, and was never fully accepted as a player, given his injuries (the world was less enlightened on the dangers of concussions in the ’90s) and his refusal to play for the teams that drafted him in junior and in the NHL.
“I think he got off on the wrong foot,” said Don Cherry on Hockey Central Saturday.
Lindros was drafted first overall in the 1989 OHL Priority Selection by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and forced a trade to Oshawa. Sault Ste. Marie has never been considered one of the OHL’s glamour markets, but even Wayne Gretzky played there for a season before turning pro – something the Brantford, Ont., native wasn’t keen on. Lindros also refused to play for Quebec City – which drafted him with the No. 1 pick of the 1991 NHL Draft – eventually getting traded to Philadelphia.
“I mean Gretzky went to Soo, (Lindros) just refused to go. …” said Cherry. “He just got off on the wrong foot.”
The London, Ont., native retired in 2007 at the age of 34, and announced a $5 million donation to the London Health Sciences Centre. He remained out of the limelight for much of the next few years, before returning to play in a Flyers-Rangers alumni game in 2011.
Lindros was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, and had his No. 88 retired by the Flyers in a ceremony this past January.
You can listen to Don Cherry’s full interview below:
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