Lindros? I would doubt he makes it. John LeClair listed as a Pengun breaks my heart.

Personally, I don’t think Lindros makes the HOF unless it’s a weak year. I just don’t see him entering in this past year’s class (Hull, Leetch, Robitaille, and Yzerman) but maybe in a year like ‘08, ’05, or ’02 he can get in. (Here’s the Wikipedia page of inductees.)

Once they get out of those 80s – 90s guys who were putting up 70 – 80 goal years Lindros might deserve consideration. John LeClair is probably associated with the Pens because that was the last team he played for. If he retired he would go in as a Flyer he made a name for himself here and I am sure scored more goals in Philly than for the Habs and Pens combined. If Lindros doesn’t go in the Legion of Doom Line still deserves a little exhibit if there is a section for great lines in hockey, without having to officially induct Lindros or LeClair.

The more interesting question is will Lindros get inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame he certainly should but will that Flyers have the courage to put their differences behind them to inductee him, will the fans cheer or boo if it would happen. Would Bobby Clarke have a heart attack and drop dead when he sees the Lindros name get raised up on the banner? I know they invited Big E to participate in the opening ceremony with all the other captains at the start of last season but who knows what they will do. Eric Lindros remains the ultimate, What If, in Flyers history along with Pelle Lindberg’s death and Bernie Parents eye injury.

Another interesting question is when Recchi gets inducted what teams does he go in under the Pens or Flyers?

Stats-wise, Lindros should be a total lock for the hall. He was a beast for almost that entire decade.

up until the 2-3 season crap storm that ended his tenure in Philadelphia, Lindross was my all time favorite athlete and the one who really got me to fall in love with the sport and our team.

He was a physical specimen, the way he used to just dominate the games and push opposing players around. He was a vicious forechecker and he was almost impossible to knock off the puck as hed barrel through defenders on his way to the goal. Add that to the fact that he had great hands and vision, he was one of a kind. I remember bob clarke calling him “the first big player with little player skills”. Had his body and his adolescent emotions stayed healthy, who knows what he could have done in this city.

My opinion of Lindross has obviously soured in recent years, but you cant forget what he did. Id put him in the hall

I’d also put him in the Flyers HOF, ASAP. He deserves it more than any other Flyer not already in there.

Say what you will about the guy, but not only did Lindros single handedly turn me into a Flyers fan in the mid 90’s (I was 7 when I first heard about him) but he pretty much turned me into a sports fan all together. In his prime he was just so entertaining to watch. I hope that he does make it into the HOF.

I think the common argument used for Lindros going into the HOF is that Cam Neely made it in. Both were incredible players who were hamstringed by injuries.

Just to reacquaint yourself with peak Lindros:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWqyNCs8i3g

Whether or not his numbers are good enough for the Hall is debateable, and I would certainly not complain if he didn’t get in, and would absolutely celebrate if he did.

But one thing that I never get tired of mentioning to people and seeing the disdain spread across their face is that Lindros gave John LeClair a career. Without Eric Lindros, LeClair would be a forgotten name that probably spent two years here, and bounced from club to club never making a real impact in the NHL. The stats mentioned above about his goals and points with his other two teams really speak for themselves, but if you had the priviledge of watching Lindros continually make plays and open up ice, make perfect passes, or just throw it on net for John to pick up the trash when necessary- it was incredible to watch. Lindros was the last Flyer who could pick a spot on the net to shoot at, and actually hit it, any time he wanted (a really underrated part of his game)- but when John was in front, he would just heave it up there and let him take the goal.

I still wear my Lindros jersey to Flyers games a lot just to see if anyone will say anything (negative or positive). Noone ever does. =(

He’ll be in the Hall of Fame fro two reasons:

1. He was an unstoppable player when healthy.
2. He changed the game in more ways than one.

Remember that before Lindros came into the league, there were small, speedy guys who could skate and there were big, strong guys who could hit and shoot, but never the twain did meet until Big E showed up. He was strong and fast; he was bigger than just about everyone and knocked down everything in his path, and he could score at will.

After Lindros, players around the league gradually started getting bigger, stronger, and faster. For comparison’s sake, watch some Flyer highlights from the 1980s teams and you can see how much smaller everyone was. Jump ahead to some highlights from the late 90s-early 2000s and you’ll notice a big difference (pun partially intended).

In short, Lindros proved that big men could skate and pass with the best of them, while still laying out the big hits and firing lasers. And in order to defend against him, the league needed to get bigger players to keep up with him.

So yes, put him in the hall.

First of all, it’s the Hockey HOF, not the NHL HOF, so Lindros’ Olympic and World Cup #‘s count. 5 time All Star, Hart Trophy, More than a PPG in regular season and playoffs. Injuries shortened his career, so he doesn’t have the #‘s of a LaFontaine and played through the trap years, hockey’s equivalent of baseball’s “dead ball era”.

I think LeClair is close and stacks up very favorably with other LW’s already in. Yeah, you can make the argument that Lindros made his career, but so what? Ever look in the baseball HOF? You think some of those Yankees got in cause they deserved it or were good players on championship teams? Or in the HHOF, how many of those Leaf/Canadiens deserve it more? I think what also helps Johnny is that there are only 8(!!) Americans in vs 222 Canuckistanis. Hopefully Mike Emrick can represent.

For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player, they must have been retired for a minimum of three years and must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee. The disparity of nationality on the committee is a little one sided towards Canada:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/indselect.htm

If anyone here is a baseball fan, there’s a list by Bill James where he discusses objectively whether someone should or should not be in the Hall of Fame. It can be adapted to hockey and with it, we can discuss Lindros:

1) Was he ever regarded as the best player in hockey? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in hockey?

- In the mid 1990s, a case could have been made for Lindros being the best player in the NHL. He was the MVP in 1995, and followed that up with 2 strong seasons, (albeit with an injury in 1996-7) that ended up with the Flyers in the Finals in 1997.

2) Was he the best player on his team?

 - From his rookie year with the Flyers up until 1999, he was. He might also have been the best player on the Rangers in 2001-02

3) Was he the best player in hockey at his position?

 - In 1995 he certainly was. You can make a case for it for the following two years as well.

- Certainly he helped the Flyers get to the finals in 1997 with 26 points in 19 games. The previous two years, the Flyers didn’t go very deep in the playoffs. He played in only 8 playoff games after 1997.

5)Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?

- He did play sporadically past his prime, mostly due to injury. He was reasonably effective, but clearly not the top player he once was.

 - Clearly not. Adam Oates was better, Joe Nieuwendyk, Pavel Bure were better. Mark Howe, his teammate was also likely better.

7) Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?

- Definitely not. His totals are not very high due to his injury history. Per game, his numbers are solid hall of fame numbers.

8) Do the player’s numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

- On a per game basis yes, on a totals basis, no.

9)Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?

- Clearly he was better than the total numbers. If his skull wasn’t made of glass, he would have played more games and his numbers would have been higher.

10) Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?

 - No: Adam Oates isn’t in yet.

11) How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

 - One MVP won, and he was considered several times.

12) How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go to the Hall of Fame?

 - Lindros played in 6 All-Star Games. Lots of players have played in more that are not in the Hall, although some of them played when the number of teams in the league was much smaller.

 
- When Lindros was at his prime, the Flyers got to the Finals. Given a little luck (meaning that the Red Wings and their arsenal of Hall of Fame players wasn’t the opponent) they might have won the Cup.

14) What impact did the player have on hockey history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

- Lindros may have encouraged the NHL to allow longer sticks. He is certainly cited as an example of what can happen when players take headshots at others.

From this, I would suggest he will eventually be put in the Hall. While he didn’t shine on the ice for very long, his shine was very bright…