The only time in history there was as much hype around a young kid entering the league as when Eric Lindros did was when Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux started their NHL careers. Eric Lindros had the potential to be the perhaps greatest player of all time, and those were the expectations as he entered the NHL as a teenager.
Eric Lindros had almost unique physical attributes and wasn’t afraid to show them off on the ice. Lindros was a nightmare to play against, and when he was injury-free, he was one of the most dominant players the NHL has ever seen.
But if there was one problem with Lindros, it was the injuries. Lindros was a power forward who didn’t shy away from tight areas on the ice, leading to some devastating hits to the jaw. Eric Lindros retired as a 34-year-old, but his late seasons didn’t do him fairly. When Lindros retired, he left everyone with a feeling of what could’ve been. But he still had a great career, and it wasn’t any doubt that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
When Lindros got his Hall of Fame moment, it was memorable. He took the opportunity to call his brother, Brett, who also played in the NHL for two seasons, to share the stage with him.
“Brett played in the Island and we always had a dream of playing together,” Lindros said. “Unfortunately it didn’t come through, but I would like to close this chapter of my life with you beside me.”
Eric Lindros wasn’t the only Lindros brother with repeated concussions. Brett Lindros also had to quit hockey in 1996 after head trauma.
It was such a touching gesture of Eric to bring his brother onto the stage and a heartwarming moment that the hockey world will never forget.
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