Why haven't we seen another Eric Lindros?

[Craig Ludwig]

If you lived through the Lindros era, you would get it and would avoid the petty jokes. For those who weren't from the era, he was one of the biggest guys playing, could skate very well, and had great hands/shot. Imagine Pat Maroon + another 20 pounds, but with great speed and fantastic hands. Hw was just that much bigger than everyone else. Defensemen would lose the puck out of fear when they both went into the corners together.

He made Canada's Olympic team at 19 years old. He was a phenom.

Problem was that in the OHL no one wanted to hit him, so he never had his head up. Had he learned to keep his head up, he would have had an Ovechkin type career. I see people mocking him here, but he was an absolute treat to watch in his prime.

 

[DarrylshutzSydor]

People forget how dominant he was.

I rmemeber him not being dominant enough to ever win it all. To get his ass kicked by multiple nhl'ers, and not staying loyal to his team not once, not twice, but at least three times. This guy was a jackass and never belongs in the HHOF.

 

[Lampedampe]

The intent behind my answer was to basically say, Lindros was so much better than Malkin (who is a legitmate 1st ballot HOFer) that even comparing him to someone so great, someone most of us agree is a top 3 or at worst top 5 player of his generation, is disrespectful.

Cool, no one made the comparison.

 

[Dread Clawz]

If Lindros was in today's NHL, he would be up there with McDavid, MacKinnon, and Kucherov for Hart/Art Ross easily.

I never said he wouldn't be. My point was that you haven't seen any Lindroses in 20 years for a reason. Instead you've seen players like McDavid, Kuch, MacKinnon, Crosby, Matthews, Stamkos, Hughes etc. for a reason.

Well yeah, but how many of the fourth liners of those days would make it today? Wade Belak ain't getting drafted in the top 15 today

That's my point, it goes both ways .

 

[tarheelhockey]

I mean, you're really driving down into the semantic black hole at a certain point. It takes more skill to strike a guy out on 6 88-mph offspeed pitches than on 3 105-mph heaters, I guess, but a K's a K, and if you ask the hitters they probably don't care what word you used to describe each guy, and each pitcher would probably choose to throw the other guy's pitches if he could.

It’s not semantics. I listed the relevant statistics in the post you quoted. Lindros did not produce at a rate that justifies any conclusion he had a skill advantage over the elite players in the league.

Howe was bigger than just about any forward in the league, and was also more skilled than just about any player in the league. The results of that combination were a PPG record of 1-1-1-1-4-2-1-1.

Lemieux was bigger than just about any forward in the league, and was also more skilled than just about any player in the league. The results of that combination were a PPG record of 2-3-1-1-4-1-1-1-1-8.

Lindros was bigger than just about any forward in the league, and in terms of skill he [footage missing]. The results of that combination were a PPG record of 3-1-3-2-6-4.

Even if you don’t want to trust the eye test, it’s not hard to fill in the missing information there.

 

[PattyLafontaine]

You just don't see tight end/defensive end type builds in the NHL that also have incredible hands with an absolutely vile mean streak.

Hard to compare him to modern players becuase the game is much more about skill and mostly of the nastiness has been toned down (for the good of player health).

Joe Thornton was never the same after getting caved in by Lindos in a fight. Thornton still had an amazing career but he was never the same as a goal scorer and played much more finesse game after that fight.

 

[fahad203]

If you lived through the Lindros era, you would get it and would avoid the petty jokes. For those who weren't from the era, he was one of the biggest guys playing, could skate very well, and had great hands/shot. Imagine Pat Maroon + another 20 pounds, but with great speed and fantastic hands. Hw was just that much bigger than everyone else. Defensemen would lose the puck out of fear when they both went into the corners together.

He made Canada's Olympic team at 19 years old. He was a phenom.

Problem was that in the OHL no one wanted to hit him, so he never had his head up. Had he learned to keep his head up, he would have had an Ovechkin type career. I see people mocking him here, but he was an absolute treat to watch in his prime.

Fans will never know what true hype was. Lindros coming out of juniors was something of an urban legend. Big guy who can absolutely fly, has hands, can hit, can fight. There was no stopping Eric, only containment

I was hearing about him early 90s through radio. Some giant kid considered the next great one. He lived up to every beat of hype. Every team was willing to trade their best players.

Eric was just insane

Closest anyone came in any sports would be Jonah Lomu, LeBron James, Aaron Judge

 

[carjackmalone]

Imagine Prime lindros on a line with Prome Bertuzzi ,the other winger would be the highest scoring mouse in history

 

[Magic Mittens]

As some mentioned. Ryan Getzlaf in his younger years and Todd Bertuzzi comes to mind as players with some similarities to Lindros, if they were a combined player maybe get close, but still not the same. Bertuzzi is probably the closest individual player to do so but not to the same degree.

There is a reason why him and his line were called:
Legion of Doom

John LeClair being his linemate was in the ballpark.
Keith Tkachuk and now Matthew and Brady. Brendan Shanahan. Jarome Iginla, a young Rick Nash, Milan Lucic, Corey Perry, Tom Wilson as mentioned.
There has been other bigger forwards with shorter stints of dominance / getting hot at times.
Johan Franzen has short stints, not the same bruising physicality over time though.
Josh Anderson probably had the potential of going there but didn't get the high numbers over time.

Why not now? Game is faster, most players leaner. Takes a specific natural build to keep up being big and physical over time.

I agree with the guys you named, but I'm surprised you left Benn off the list. Obviously Benn wasn't as nasty as Big E, or not quite as skilled, but I always felt Benn was the closet comparison when he played with more of an edge

 

[winnipegger]

Imagine if Dustin Byfuglien played center and had generational offensive tools. Maybe lindros could also hold Tyson barrie in one hand and ragdoll another player in his other hand? Big guys who can play are scary.

 

[Keystone]

I was gonna mention Byfuglien as well. Different positions yes, but possessing tremendous amounts of skill in a giant frame. Same kind of chaotic semi truck accident like bodychecks. Unicorns.
Loved watching lindros play.

 

[Wondercarrot]

Suuuuuuuuch a dick, it’s great he existed but then also great he got crushed.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

He had IQ

Um.....yeah....about that....

I'm as big a lindros fan as there is, but you cannot say somebody had IQ when they had a tendency to keep their head down.

You are taught very early to always keep your head up. Lindros got away with it in juniors on account of their being nobody else his size.

But you saw what happened to him when around similar sized players.

And Kasparitis....of course....

 

[MadLuke]

It is probably noisy, but apperently a bit less than 0.8% of Canadian males are 6 foot 4 or more.

Among them who happened to have a really strong build has well and athleticism, that just extremely rare.

After all that, being really good at an elite level at hockey regardless of those advantages, the total package is more than generational, like Mario before that, which we have yet to see again.

And he needs to have chosen hockey, someone like that will have a lot of do you want to play football, basketball and other sports talks growing up.

 

[Legionnaire11]

If I knew nothing about Lindros and simply watched this video, I'd think he was a total bitch who just liked shoving his hands in faces and pushing people down.

There was a few solid hits, but most of that was a terrible montage.

For a video about his hits, it did just about the worst possible job showing any of them.

 

[jbeck5]

I don't know if this counts, as they're different positions...but does Chara count?

He won the award for being the best defenseman, so though not having amazing puck skills, was a top player in the game, while being 6'9, 260 pounds and tossing guys around like they weigh 5 pounds and getting penalties for being too strong or too big. Could ragdoll 225lbs guys with ease.

 

[ACC1224]

Curious question, we've had a ton of brilliant players come through the ranks since his last game, but nobody has ever come close to the physical dominance and skillset that Lindros had. Why haven't we seen someone like him since? Are players like him that rare? Should he be considered more of a generational player or even one of the best ever considering how rare it is to see a player like him?

Was hoping Matthews would turn into more of a Lindros type but he's too soft, doesn't have it in him.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I don't know if this counts, as they're different positions...but does Chara count?

He won the award for being the best defenseman, so though not having amazing puck skills, was a top player in the game, while being 6'9, 260 pounds and tossing guys around like they weigh 5 pounds and getting penalties for being too strong or too big. Could ragdoll 225lbs guys with ease.

Chara is sort of a good comparable to some degree in their fights and physicality. But Chara has insane balance and positioning and not nearly as much speed (but he made up for it with range).

But Lindros was more like a worse version of Ovechkin (during his early 'Bull in Chinashop' years).
Ovechkin had WAY more skill and speed. OV had a bit less nastiness, but he still often lead the league in hits, and could keep his head up. Like Lindros would get caught in emotion, and attempts to bully and intimidate, whereas OV was like a goddamn Terminator who didn't care what you thought or felt, he would go through you.

Lindros = baseball bat
OV = heat-seeking missile.

Lindros doesn't have anything close to the hardware collection that OV has, because he really wasn't close to being as good, and he loved staring at his laces going into open ice.

Compare highlight videos of Early OV and Lindros. They're not even close, OV was a dynamic wizard with an insane mix of size skill physicality and speed.



OV is Clearly a few tiers above Lindros, and OV's inclusion as a 'generational talent' is debated. Lindros wasn't anywhere close to OV, let alone being "generational".


OV has the scoring titles, the insane number of Rockets, the Cup, and he's chasing 99's goal record. He played a smarter (better) version of Lindros' game.


And look at the types of hits OV makes:
His head is up, and he CLEARLY see's the play develop, and then is opportunistic with laying them out. Lindros never applied any kind of hockey sense with his hits. He just hit whoever was in front of him.

If OV could headhunt, he would have ended as many careers as Stevens.

 

[HabsForHire]

Although Malkin is/was undeniably a physical player, nobody was ever afraid of Malkin's physical play. Lindros ... ya, he was scary.

Closest player currently is Brady. Great player, but not all that close to Lindros.

OP is onto something here.

brady lmao, OVI would be a much closer comparison

 

[Wondercarrot]

brady lmao, OVI would be a much closer comparison

The comment was right now, and right now Ovechkin is a shadow of his prime self - and prime ovechkin was not nearly as mean and vicious as Lindros. (Neither is Tkachuk)

They don’t really make guys who play like that anymore.

 

[sensfan4lifee]

I am very aware of how slow players were back then.
The faster Players today now could catch Lindros staring at his skates much more easily.


Ohh wow.. this guy with 865 career points is the most dominant offensive force the league has ever seen, and would dominate McDavid year after year.



Puhhh-leeeze.


You realise Matt Duchene is going to pass him in the all-time list this year right?

You clearly never saw Lindros play if you make a post like this

Lindros is probably the most physically imposing skilled player the league has ever seen, he could pass, shoot, hit and had a solid two way game, at 19 when he entered the league he was already arguably a top 10 center. He didn't go around players he went through them, and yes I would openly say Lindros had the potential to be a generational talent, and he was very much boarder line for a few years. If Lindros played today he would dominate this league of smaller skilled players.

 

[sensfan4lifee]

Skaters of the last 10 years are vastly improved.

People bemoan the loss of great power forwards but other than the fact it is a very taxing style of play leading to generally shortened careers, if it was half as effective as we think it would be in this era, the best players would be power forwards but they aren't.

Size still exists, speed still exists, players with both traits exist, and to combine it with a willingness to go through a player versus around still exists - so where did all the power forwards go? I argue that it's actually lost effectiveness as everyone else and systems got better.

It's often said that people will do anything it takes to win. But if it's not conducive and effective then why waste the time and effort? And I loved power forwards but there's a reason Lindros and co. aren't really around any more. Ovechkin is a rare example, but Bertuzzi, Iginla, Nash all faded away a hockey generation ago.



Trouba exists. Phaneuf existed. Pronger existed.

For recency: In terms of physicality, meanness and domination Pronger was probably the most effective while becoming more injury-prone and lacking as much longevity, but he is considered to be right alongside Lidstrom in conversations of best defencemen of their generation, and Lidstrom is considered as a top-5 blueliner all time and a top-25 player; probably the most recent addition to those lofty ranks before Crosby and Ovechkin call it a career.

Lindros generally isn't considered to be the best of his contemporaries, let alone all-time.

He has the stink of "never learned to mature his game past Junior" because in fairness, it still worked in the NHL for a while because of how exceptional his physical abilities were - except he finally started playing against men who were just as strong, just as mean, and unfortunately for him, smarter.

WHAT the f***, Lindros was without a doubt considered one of t he best centers of the 90s, he was a top 5 player of that decade, please stop this revisionist bullshit, he literally turned Philly a contender the moment he stepped onto the Ice, he carried a flyers team to the finals.

 

[Svechhammer]

Never watched Lindros play, but is Malkin the closest thing today?

Prime Lindros is arguably one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen. The combination of speed, raw offensive skill and brutal physicality is something we just don't have in this current league. Its like if you mixed all the offensive tools McDavid has with the physical frame and willingness to hit that Rempe has.

And its a shame he dealt with the injuries he did, because it created a huge void of elite talent in the league basically from when Gretzky retired for about 10 years until Crosby and Ovi started to hit their primes, and might have helped cause a lot of the viewership and financial issues the league was dealing with going into the 2005 lockout.

 

[sensfan4lifee]

I rmemeber him not being dominant enough to ever win it all. To get his ass kicked by multiple nhl'ers, and not staying loyal to his team not once, not twice, but at least three times. This guy was a jackass and never belongs in the HHOF.

You don't know shit, he was not unloyal the Flyers, they did not handle his injuries properly at all, as far as Quebec? Who cares he didn't like the owner and didn't want to play there, it's his life and his choice to do that, and watch the interview where he states why he didn't want to play there it will open your eyes about things. And he f***in broke Jumbo Joes jaw in like one punch lol once again he never really got his ass kicked, once again a poster with revisionist history trying to down play the impact of a hall of fame player.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Prime Lindros is arguably one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen. The combination of speed, raw offensive skill and brutal physicality is something we just don't have in this current league. Its like if you mixed all the offensive tools McDavid has with the physical frame and willingness to hit that Rempe has.

And its a shame he dealt with the injuries he did, because it created a huge void of elite talent in the league basically from when Gretzky retired for about 10 years until Crosby and Ovi started to hit their primes, and might have helped cause a lot of the viewership and financial issues the league was dealing with going into the 2005 lockout.

I agree with everything else you said, but McDavid’s offensive tools are on a different tier than Lindros. Lindros was more like if we gave Tavares another 4 inches and 40 pounds on his frame and somehow still made him faster. Really really good offensive player, but still not quite a McDavid.