[emperor penguin]

He put up some decent numbers Ill give him that, but he had a pretty pathetic NHL career imo, his legacy doesnt even come close to someone like Gretzky, Richard or Lemeiux for example. He probably will get in, but he doesnt belong with the greats if you ask me. He came into the league like a loser and went out like a loser a fitting end. Im not sure when he's draft eligible but Id like to know who else is up for it that year. Anyone know how to find that out?

it's 3 years after you retire isn't it?

[j-monster]

Whatever you may think of Eric Lindros as a hockey player (I think he was a great player in his prime, whose prime was cut way short due to injuries, especially concussions)...

... or as a person (sure the Sault Ste. Marie/Oshawa and Quebec/Philadelphia situations were poorly handled by Eric, but shouldn't more of the blame go to his parents possibly than him? And those actions alone shouldn't be the sole method of how to judge him or whether to call him a bitch, crybaby or what-not)...

... or whether he should go in the Hall of Fame (I think he should based on his numbers, the type of player he was which was different from anyone before him, plus they took into account Cam Neely's shortened career due to injuries so they should do the same with Lindros... plus even Bob Clarke says he should be in the Hall of Fame, so how do we argue with that? http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=222382&hubname= and http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=222465&hubname=nhl )...

... whatever you think about those topics, you do have to agree with this: Eric Lindros has matured greatly over the last couple of years, and in announcing his retirement he has topped it off by announcing what is believed to be the largest one-time donation by an athlete in Canada for charitable purposes by donating $5M to the London Health Sciences Centre. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=222456&hubname=nhl

For that generosity, at the very least, he should be applauded. In addition to applauding him for that selfless act, I choose to applaud his style of play, to remember the rare, gifted combination of skill, size and toughness that he had, to regret that injuries took those things away from hockey fans all too soon, and to wish that he, Eric Lindros, be inducted to the Hall of Fame one day.

[grimes]

I think he should have retired after this,

That was pretty much the end of his career after all...

And yes, it's 3 years, so he's eligible for the hall in 2010. Interestingly, on the TSN hockey panel on Wednesday night Bob Clarke was asked whether he thought Lindros deserved to be in the hall, and he said yes. I'm still on the fence. While he was certainly a fantastic player in his prime, his longevity is an issue. And there's a few currently eligible players that deserve to be in ahead of him, someone like Doug Gilmour, for example.

[tth_fan]

I think he should have retired after this,

That was pretty much the end of his career after all...

And yes, it's 3 years, so he's eligible for the hall in 2010. Interestingly, on the TSN hockey panel on Wednesday night Bob Clarke was asked whether he thought Lindros deserved to be in the hall, and he said yes. I'm still on the fence. While he was certainly a fantastic player in his prime, his longevity is an issue. And there's a few currently eligible players that deserve to be in ahead of him, someone like Doug Gilmour, for example.

The fact that Glenn Anderson isn't in the Hall yet is ridiculous. If Lindros ever makes it to the Hall before Anderson, it would be a sin against hockey.
Killer will make it, it's just a matter of time.

[d_alex_d]

One thing that hasnt been mentioned in all this retirement talk, is that Lindros yesterday made his announcement just down the street from my house, in his hometown of London, ON, where he made a $5million dollar donation to the London Hospitals. I heard on the radio that this is the single biggest donation by a NHL player, (or something like that, I was just waking up, it could have been something slightly different).

Personally, I would put him in the Hall, he had a great career, IMO. And as it is a HOCKEY HOF, not an NHL HOF, you must take into account his junior career, which includes a Memorial Cup championship, not to mention his international success.

And yes, he may have refused to play for his drafted junior team, and his drafted NHL team. Which, yes is probably a little cry-babyish, but it also paved the way for players rights in the league. Nobody had ever dreamed of standing up to the owners like this before him. Now, the rights for players have changed greatly. Which can't be all that bad of a thing.

[chris]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ihhof.com/">http://www.ihhof.com/</a><!-- m --> in Kingston considers all things... but I was under the impression that the Hall in Toronto is NHL focused...

[d_alex_d]

http://www.ihhof.com/ in Kingston considers all things... but I was under the impression that the Hall in Toronto is NHL focused...

You may be right, I'm not 100% certain, but I heard somewhere, possibly TSN, say that it was an all hockey thing.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

[chris]

I dunno... either way, I don't think he should be in the Hall of Fame.

[EPenguin10]

1995 - He won the Hart Trophy and the Pearson Award, leading the league with 70 points in an abbreviated season.
1996 - 115 points; 47 goals.
1997 - Philadelphia made it to the Cup finals, and he had 27 points and a dozen goals in the playoffs.

He played 760 games, and had 865 points. He averages one of the highest "points-per-game" stat, 1.138.

Sure, the end of his career was riddled with injury and complications, but in his prime, Lindros was a force to be reckoned with in the NHL.

Hall of Fame? You bet.

The fact that he has one of the highest "points-per-game" is somewhat irrelevant since i think everyone agrees that "points-per-game" as a function of one's career is concave. For it to be relevant you would have to compare everyone after 760 games which would definately push Lindros down the list...Moreover, according to your argument, his credentials are based on three solid years. Anderson's are based on a solid eight to ten.

I personally don't think he has the credentials to enter the Hall. Combined with the fact that he *REFUSED* to play for the team that drafted him...

[opiated]

I personally think the generous donation of 5 million was another way of him saying "look how fucking great i am"...

[opiated]

I dunno... either way, I don't think he should be in the Hall of Fame.

agree

[chris]

I personally think the generous donation of 5 million was another way of him saying "look how fucking great i am"...

But I'll gladly tell him, and any one else with dough like, that they are fuckin' great in exchange for a donation. :thumb:

[cferneyh]

I personally think the generous donation of 5 million was another way of him saying "look how fucking great i am"...

cratch:

Wait a second - when your boy Trevor Linden does stuff like this, it's because he's all class, blah blah blah. Sooooooo, how is this different?

[tommygunn]

http://www.ihhof.com/ in Kingston considers all things... but I was under the impression that the Hall in Toronto is NHL focused...

Mostly NHL, but there are players in the HOF who never played a game in the NHL.. Tretiak and Kharlamov come to mind.

[d_alex_d]

I personally think the generous donation of 5 million was another way of him saying "look how fucking great i am"...

cratch:

Wait a second - when your boy Trevor Linden does stuff like this, it's because he's all class, blah blah blah. Sooooooo, how is this different?

I was thinking the same thing