The Panther
Registered User
Lindros, when healthy and in his prime (c. 1994 to 1999) was one of the greatest forwards of all time. I'd take that Lindros in the line-up over Crosby or Ovechkin.
Lindros was an all-star student in high school, making the honor roll easily. You'd think a seemingly intelligent guy would have picked his spots a lot better. I get that Lindros had to play a physical game, and that was indeed important and effective in his era, but right from his first month in the NHL he way overdid the physical stuff. As a superstar, he had no need at all to get into open-ice hits and fights with lesser players. Maybe you have to do that once with a rival team to prove your stripes or whatever, but then you walk away and leave it to the goons and tough guys. Lindros very rarely backed down from a physical altercation and I don't know why.
Messier was his hero, and he should have paid more attention to this aspect of Messier's game, which was masterful. Mess knew how to be a physical presence and intimidate opponents, without having to prove yourself physically night after night. Like Gordie Howe, he found a way to earn his space with only rarely having to fight for it.
In a weird way, maybe Lindros was actually too clean...? Like, maybe he should have been more Messier / Chelios and laid the lumber on more guys (refs missed 90% of this back then), and that way he would have kept opponents more at bay. It seemed like every tough guy and every 'pest' was lining up to take their runs at Lindros... and Eric rarely walked away.
Lindros was an all-star student in high school, making the honor roll easily. You'd think a seemingly intelligent guy would have picked his spots a lot better. I get that Lindros had to play a physical game, and that was indeed important and effective in his era, but right from his first month in the NHL he way overdid the physical stuff. As a superstar, he had no need at all to get into open-ice hits and fights with lesser players. Maybe you have to do that once with a rival team to prove your stripes or whatever, but then you walk away and leave it to the goons and tough guys. Lindros very rarely backed down from a physical altercation and I don't know why.
Messier was his hero, and he should have paid more attention to this aspect of Messier's game, which was masterful. Mess knew how to be a physical presence and intimidate opponents, without having to prove yourself physically night after night. Like Gordie Howe, he found a way to earn his space with only rarely having to fight for it.
In a weird way, maybe Lindros was actually too clean...? Like, maybe he should have been more Messier / Chelios and laid the lumber on more guys (refs missed 90% of this back then), and that way he would have kept opponents more at bay. It seemed like every tough guy and every 'pest' was lining up to take their runs at Lindros... and Eric rarely walked away.
