THE WAY LINDROS PLAYED MIGHT NOT FIT IN TODAY’S NHL
The game has changed since big No. 88 was both crushing opponents and scoring goals
When Eric Lindros had his No. 88 raised to the rafters on Thursday, it was a final chance for the Philadelphia Flyers to honour a one-of-a-kind player who blended strength and size with skill and speed.
As former teammates have repeatedly said, there never was another player like the six-foot-four, 230-pound Lindros, who in his best season scored 47 goals and 115 points in 73 games, while also racking up 163 penalty minutes.
The question is, like Lindros’ jersey, has the role of the power forward also been retired?
“It might be a little bit tougher, just because of the rules,” said John LeClair, who played alongside Eric Lindros on the famed Legion of Doom line. “Eric intimidated a lot of guys just because of how he hit them and stuff like that. I don’t think you can run guys through the boards and, obviously, the stick work is gone.
“Eric carried a heavy stick. You got that against your wrist and you knew what was going on. It hurt. He’d make it so you couldn’t feel your arm for a while.”
The closest we’ve seen to a Lindros-type player might have been Todd Bertuzzi or Ryan Getzlaf or maybe even Milan Lucic, who in his prime could check you through the glass (see: Mike van Ryn) as well as score 30 goals in a season. For a while, every team was looking for a power forward. It’s why the Toronto Maple Leafs once signed David Clarkson, why the Oilers traded for Patrick Maroon — and signed Lucic — and why mite-sized players were largely ignored over bigger-bodied forwards in draft after draft. Today, it’s the opposite.
The new poster boy for the NHL is so small he can be printed on an 8x11 sheet of paper. He doesn’t hit or fight, but he can still intimidate with his speed and skill. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, led the league in scoring with 61 points in 45 games heading into Friday night’s action, while Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau (five foot nine and 157 pounds) and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux (five foot 11 and 185 pounds) were both in the Top 5. From Brad Marchand to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Marchessault, the league is awash with players that could have skated through Lindros’ legs.
“It’s a completely different game than it was in the past,” Lindros said. “These guys are just machines. They’re built for speed. The hands and the skill level of today’s player is far greater than even five years ago. I mean, it changes all the time. It’s fun to watch.”
Size still matters in terms of puck protection. But even today’s so-called power forwards don’t necessarily play a power game like Lindros used to. Heck, they don’t even play the game the way Lucic used to.
Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler, who is six foot five and 225 pounds, is tied for seventh in scoring but has no fights this year and is averaging less than one bodycheck per game. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (six foot three and 235 pounds) has taken far fewer penalties than Kucherov, while Toronto’s Auston Matthews (six foot three and 216 pounds) finished sixth in Lady Byng Trophy voting last season. Nasty? Well, sure, but only as it relates to their stickhandling or shot release.
“I think you’re going to see big, physical, skilled guys, but they’re not going to use their strength in the way that Eric did, because they’re not going to need that,” said former Legion of Doom linemate Mikael Renberg. “The game is so different and there’s so many more penalties; you can’t hold onto players anymore. I like the new type of game because it’s faster. I think you’re going to see big, skilled guys, but they’re going to use their skills more than anything else.”
Leafs forward Patrick Marleau, who played against Lindros, said “A couple of those guys can do it when they get a little mad,” referring to Ovechkin et al, “but I think what made Eric so good was he was doing it on a nightly basis. He was playing nasty, being mean and scoring goals.”
Drafted second overall by the Flyers in 2017, Nolan Patrick has the size (6-2 and 198 pounds) and skill ( he scored 205 points in 163 junior games) to try to emulate Lindros if he wanted to. Of course, suggesting he might do so elicits a laugh from the 19-yearold rookie.
“You can’t compare yourself to him,” Patrick said. “I would have to get a lot stronger if I want to play like that. He was obviously an unbelievable player, but I don’t know if I could learn too much from him now.”
So, who is most like Lindros now? Here’s a closer look at four:
MILAN LUCIC, EDMONTON
He’s a bit slower and not as prolific a goal-scorer as he was with the Bruins, but opponents still have to be on guard when Lucic is on the ice.
With three fights this season to go with nine goals and 28 points in 46 games, he can still hurt teams in a variety of ways.
ALEX OVECHKIN, WASHINGTON
Ovechkin is the same weight as Lindros was when he was playing. The only difference is Ovechkin is an inch shorter.
In other words, this is a big man who occasionally likes to show off his size and strength. Just ask Jaromir Jagr, who got rocked by an open-ice hit from Ovechkin at the 2010 Olympics.
JAMIE BENN, DALLAS
Like Ovechkin, Benn has won the Art Ross Trophy. But unlike Ovechkin, Benn nearly had as many penalty minutes as he did points that season.
He has toned down that number this season, but the Stars forward is still at his best when he’s playing on the edge.
RYAN GETZLAF, ANAHEIM
The six-foot-four, 223-pound centre is plenty skilled, having had 82-, 87- and 91-point seasons, as well as reached the 25-goal mark four times.
But he also has a mean streak to his game, racking up 121 penalty minutes in 2008-09.
“Sometimes, he’s just a beast,” linemate Nick Ritchie said.