Is Lindros Worth The Migraine?

James Bagos
Aug 3, 2000

Take two aspirin and call me in the morning. At least that's what the Flyers doctors thought of Lindros' situation according to Lindros. As you all know Lindros has gotten knocked silly by opposition defensemen who obviously read the morning papers and hear about the injuries and concussions Eric has suffered the past couple years. After sorting out this situation with you I might need to take a couple of aspirin. Oh well, might as well start at the top.

Concussions are serious trouble to a hockey player and Lindros has suffered six of them in the past two to three years. They are almost unavoidable in a game where you run around on the ice, skating at top speed and trying to knock the crap out of the opposition while you try and put the puck past a padded man standing between two pipes 6 feet apart. Concussions and even injuries for the most part are an afterthought when you're playing hockey. Darius Kasparaitis and Scott Stevens are two defensemen that knocked Eric into next year with bone-crunching bodychecks. Lindros has to see little Scott Stevens' and Darius Kasparaitis' running around in his head even at this moment.

The Flyers general manager, Bobby Clarke repeatedly questioned Eric's toughness and durability publicly. That's fine as long as you keep it to yourself. The problem is that Bobby's mouth runs faster than his brain and sometimes the brain can't catch up to the mouth. That's when controversy and questions arise. Which resulted in shots fired. By both sides and both sides seem unwilling to budge from their high horses. Lindros points to his health as an issue and as tough and great a player Eric Lindros is when he's healthy, he is only human. Humans suffer injuries, have feelings and have their wants and needs. Lindros needs to stay out of the game for a while.

Bobby Clarke says however that Lindros can't take the physical beatings that others regularly face in the NHL. This, and other public criticism has lead to contract squabbles between the sides in the last two years. The Toronto Maple Leafs are now considered serious contenders in the Lindros sweepstakes and might trade for him. Lindros' father, who acts as his agent is extremely angry at the way the Flyers organization has treated Lindros and there is a strong feeling that the Lindros family would be ecstatic to see their son play for his hometown team. Clarke says that Lindros' parents are running and ruining his sons life. Back and forth and back and forth, they argue. Some of it getting personal and that's why Eric Lindros is in the messy situation he's in now, which is both professional and now personal. Lindros needs to sit out a year and let his brain heal properly, Bobby Clarke needs to put a speed limit on his mouth and there would be no need to cart around this aspirin for everyone. Geeze, can't we all just get along?

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