Now this isn’t that significant to me overall, but as for the game of hockey itself and the NHL, it is. It’s obvious to all hockey fans what Lindros’ legacy will be: what could have been, not what was. He had all the tools to be the next Mario Lemieux, yet even more aggressive and stronger, but only had a few seasons of that brilliance. It’s a shame, since injuries are what caused his downturn. But his attitude never won any fans. Certainly not me.
The thing that sticks out the most in my mind about Lindros’ career was before he took the ice: his refusal to sign with the Quebec Nordiques after they drafted him. It doesn’t matter how good he was, and he was great for quite a few years. But that refusal speaks more to me. For those that don’t know, he didn’t want to play for the Nordiques because they played in a mostly French speaking city. And since this wasn’t the first time he scoffed at who drafted him (he refused to play for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL after they drafted him, because it was too far from home), my attitude towards him was that he was a big baby and a spoiled brat. I would point, especially years later, that the guy he was supposed to unthrone, Mario Lemieux, went to the Pittsburgh Penguins without question. He had to learn English after being drafted (he only spoke French at that time), and the Penguins financially were a mess. But Lemieux never complained. His reward? Two Stanley Cups for him the Penguins. Lindros never won a Cup. To top it off, the Nordiques took the huge amount of players (which included Peter Forsberg) they received from trading Lindros, moved to Denver, and won two Stanley Cups themselves (as the Colorado Avalanche). Maybe that’s karma coming back to Lindros for his actions.
I read Scott Burnside’s COLUMN yesterday morning and was given more information about the man whose teammates called Big E. There was more pressure on Lindros then maybe he deserved, and I can agree with that. And there is a new side to Lindros in his work with the Players’ Union. Hopefully he can do a lot of good for the players, the NHL, and the game in general with his work. But unfortunately, in spite of his Hart Trophy in 1995 (league MVP), and the great skill and strength he showed on the ice, I will still think of him as that spoiled player who wanted things his way.
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