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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
 Posted - 04/02/2007 : 20:14:02
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Assume Lindros was able to skate with his head up and not get injured. What do you suppose would be thought of him as a player. How good would he have been? Where would he rate all time? He was a monster in his prime. I'm not really sure who he could even be compared to. Discuss.
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Edited by - willus3 on 04/02/2007 21:08:52
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leigh
Moderator
Canada
1755 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2007 : 21:09:35
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Love the topic Willus! I've often wondered that. Like most people I lost a lot of respect for Lindros when he started out his NHL career the way he did with the controversy in Quebec City. But there was no doubt he was amazing! After he began to get injured I started softening up my perception of him. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if his injuries had something to do with it. I'm actually a fan of his these days. In my opinion he paid his dues and then some. I think he has done amazingly well considering all he has been through (6 or 7 concussions of which at least 3 were severe, several other injuries including wrist and shoulder)
He's still well over a point a game although the last 3 seasons he has fallen below that. But even though he is in the latter part of his career he is still a potent weapon if he is getting ice time.
So imagine taking away his concussions, which really was the bulk of his down-time. We'd be talking about a guy that would have probably reached around 1200 points in 13 seasons so far. I really don't think that would be much of a stretch. That would put him somewhere around Dino Ciccarelli, so somewhere around 40th or so. And he'd have 3 or 4 years left on his career so he could reach as high as Mike Gartner or there abouts (1335)....assuming he was healthy. |
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manninm
PickupHockey Pro
USA
347 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 05:24:11
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| Agreed, Leigh. Not one of the best ever, as the hype would've led you to believe on draft day, but certainly a hall of famer. |
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andyhack
PickupHockey Pro
Japan
891 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 08:00:12
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He was an awesome force and it's too bad what happened. He would have been very very high up on the all-timers I think.
But, from what I have read anyway, I think he fits the bill for your word "arrogant" pretty well. And put an arrogant player up against an arrogant manager, and I guess you get what happened in Philly. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 12:38:22
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| On the ice, he would have been highly regarded if he was as healthy and as productive through his entire career as he was in his first few years. But yes, Arrogant beyond words. I think even if he would have lived up to the hype on the ice, the stuff from Quebec and Philly would have put him in the same place as Anderson and Ciccarelli. That is great players not in the H.O.F. |
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PuckNuts
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
2414 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 13:53:46
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I would consider him both the irresistible force and the unmovable object, also arrogant as they come, but too many bumps to the head, and he has never the same...
The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way...
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Edited by - PuckNuts on 04/03/2007 15:31:42 |
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leafsfan_101
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1530 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 15:13:10
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i think he would have been a solid, good hockey player. Lindros could easily tear up the league when healthy, and he had a really good Peter Forsberg at his side.
Would he have been in the top ten? No. Top twenty? No. I say around top thirty to forty would be an accurate estimate. Great topic Willus.
Long Live Leafs Nation!! |
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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 20:08:10
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| Personally I can't stand his attitude. Though I think he's toned that down as he's gotten older. That aside, i believe he would have been considered an all time great. While on Philly he was about 1.3 ppg. Say he tapers off toward the end of his career, if he stayed healthy i think 1400 points isn't unreasonable. So his point production is there. Then factor in his physically dominating play. Guys would literally just bounce off of him. Messier himself said Lindros was the only guy he ever feared. He was very agile, especially when you consider his size. He also had skills. Stickhandling, playmaking, skating and a very hard shot. It's unfortunate for hockey that we didn't see his full potential. I still can't believe he never learned to keep his head up. Maybe when you're that big when you're young you don't have to, you just run over guys anyway. Not so in the big leagues. |
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leigh
Moderator
Canada
1755 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 21:01:43
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quote:
Originally posted by willus3
...I still can't believe he never learned to keep his head up. Maybe when you're that big when you're young you don't have to, you just run over guys anyway. Not so in the big leagues.
Good perspective Willus. It was a mystery to me how he could get absolutely labeled that many times. Everyone remembers the Stevens hit but do you remember the Kasperitus hit a coupel years before that? Lindros was breaking up the wing with his head down. Kasperitus was known for his deadly hip check but that time he absolutely KO's Lindros with the biggest shoulder to the jaw. It made my stomach turn! |
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ED11
Rookie
Canada
224 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 22:03:48
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I think that Lindros would have been an incredible talent if he kept his head up. The guy had 600pts in his first 430 games. Even now he has 865pts in 760 games. Another thing about him was that he was great defensively. I know he played for a good Flyers team, but the guy is a +215 in his career!!! If he only kept his head up... ...I think that 1,500pts for him would be resonable for him. I liked Lindros. |
Edited by - ED11 on 04/03/2007 22:07:32 |
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willus3
Moderator
Canada
1948 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2007 : 08:43:46
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I wonder if Lindros now regrets not playing for the Nordiques. Had he played for them his career may have been quite different. Maybe he doesn't get a concussion. Maybe he would still be dominating now. Maybe he would have had a worse injury too though. You never know. But I wonder if he thinks about that.
"Go chase headlights!" |
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2007 : 23:28:35
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I never understood the "attitude" thing people always lay on him. I think had his parents not been such knobs (it was them who kept him from going to Quebec - he was friggin' 18), he would have been better off, but I don't think he personally was/is all that bad.
As for his fallout with Bobby Clark, the Flyers team doctors almost killed him when they mis-diagnosed his broken rib and he lost half of his blood volume (even the Nashville doctors backed Lindros on that one). People forget that.
I think he's still got a very outside shot at the Hall of Fame. Some people will scoff at that, but he was a Hart Trphy winner, Lester B. Pearson award winner, and would have won the Calder had Teemu not scored 76 goals as a 23-year-old rookie. He's also a 6 time all-star, and has a gold and silver Olympic medal, as well as a Canada Cup gold medal and a couple of World Junior gold medals. Remember, it's the Hockey Hall of Fame, not the NHL Hall of Fame.
Speculation is always just that, but I think he would have been a top-20 all time scorer had he kept healthy. He never had soft hands, but man was/is he a force.
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. - Gretz |
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Lindros's potential 
