There are a lot of perks of working at The Hockey News. I get to go to games for free and get the best seat in the house; I may be at a dizzying height near the rafters, but I get an amazing view of all the action away from the puck and get to see plays develop better than from any other seat. I get to talk hockey all day and get my name out there in the hockey community. One of my favorite things however, is the archives.
Every issue of The Hockey News ever produced is in the office and looking at the old issues is amazing. The annual Future Watch is coming out soon, ranking the top prospects from every team and we are just starting to work Draft Preview now as well where we look at the hopefuls for this year's draft. Today, I came upon a copy of Draft Watch from 1991, with the cover story being about young phenom Eric Lindros. The story, which came out on June 30, 1991 in volume 44, number 35, listed 88 things you may not know about Lindros and they were quite intriguing. Here are some of my favorites.
10. When he isn't playing well or something isn't working in his game, he's most likely to ask his father, Carl, how to remedy the problem. Now if he only knew the remedy for obsessive, controlling parents.
13. As a youngster, his favorite NHL team was Montreal. Now, he says he doesn't have one. I would most definitely rule out Quebec though.
22. His teammates call him "Lindy." Well, it's better than Erica. Kinda. OK, not really.
25. He is definitely motivated by pride to be the best, but financial rewards are high on his list, too. Hey, at least he's up front about it.
30. The Greyhounds improved from 42 points to 87 points after trading his rights. And the Nordiques/Avalanche went from 52 points (second lowest in the NHL. Only expansion San Jose had fewer) to 104 points (fourth in the NHL) in one year and a Stanley Cup three years later after trading his rights to Philadelphia. Hmm, I sense a pattern.
49. He will float at times...until he's hit, which rarely fails to get him fired up. Said Scott Stevens, "challenge accepted."
69. When he was 16, then Philadelphia Flyer GM Bob Clarke said he was good enough to play on any team in the NHL. When he was 28, then Philadelphia Flyer GM Bob Clarke said get the hell outta Philly.
71. He has never suffered a major injury. His worst injury has been a shoulder separation. This was written just a bit too soon, don't you think?
86. His inner circle and unofficial advisory council is tight, consisting of his parents and agent. I think he could have used a new inner circle.
Eric was exciting and fun to watch! Late in his career when he was announced as a scratch at games you could feel the disappointment of the crowd. It's too bad his career was a short one as was his brother's. With the both of them suffering from concussion problems it make you wonder if there is a generic link.(Excluding the Scott Stevens hit). I will always remember Eric as an exceptional hockey player and I'm glad I got to watch him his just about his whole career.
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