Saying Goodbye To Eric Lindros

We remember, when Eric Lindros first came into the NHL, someone describing him as the type of special player who will be measured "not by the number of All-Star appearances, but by the number of championships won." Well, he made six All-Star teams and never won a title. One suspects people were expecting more.

As a hockey observer of amateur status, we cannot go too far in depth into the disappointment of Lindros' career, but we can say this: Ten years ago, if you'd have asked us to start naming off hockey players, Lindros would have been second on the list after Wayne Gretzky (who will surely be the top name for the next 50 years). Lindros probably isn't a Hall of Famer, and he surely isn't particularly popular in Philadelphia (the Eric Lindros of sports towns, The 700 Level says), but mostly, we suspect he'll be known as the guy who had about 50 concussions and a collapsed lung. In a league full of indestructible robots, Lindros had the misfortune of actually getting hurt. That'll do ya in.

Hall Worthy [Going Five Hole] Damn You Future [The 700 Level]