Eric Lindros to have his No. 88 retired by the Flyers

Jim Cerny

Eric Lindros to have his No. 88 retired by the Flyers image

One year after being immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Eric Lindros will be feted once again this season, this time when his No. 88 sweater is retired and raised to the rafters by the Philadelphia Flyers on January 18, 2018.

Already inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame back in 2014, Lindros becomes just the sixth player to have his number retired by the club. He will join Bernie Parent (1), Mark Howe (2), Barry Ashbee (4), Bill Barber (7) and Bobby Clarke (16) in a ceremony to be held at Wells Fargo Center before the Flyers host the Toronto Maple Leafs, a contest pitting two of the four teams Lindros played for during his 13-year career.

 

 

Over eight seasons in Philly, Lindros averaged 1.36 points per game, highest in franchise history. He is one of only two Flyers ever to capture the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, winning the award in 1995 after recording 70 points in 46 games during the lockout-shortened season.

Though injuries limited him to only 486 games played in a Flyers uniform, Lindros stands as the fifth-leading scorer in franchise history with 659 points, 115 of which came during the 1995-96 campaign. At age 21, he became the youngest Flyers captain ever; and in 1997 Lindros led Philly to the Stanley Cup Final, albeit a four-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

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It can be argued that Eric Lindros never lived up the hype that enveloped his controversial entry into the National Hockey League 25 years ago after he and his family forced his trade from Quebec to Philadelphia. Oft-injured, Lindros never had a full healthy season with the Flyers and, in fact, appeared in more than 73 games only once in his career -- in 2002-03 as member of the New York Rangers when he played in 81 games. Lindros suffered at least eight concussions during his NHL career, along with knee and wrist injuries, and a collapsed lung in 1999.

 

However, when healthy and centering the Flyers' famed "Legion of Doom" line with John LeClair and Mikael Renberg, the hulking yet highly-skilled Lindros was unquestionably one of the great players of his time, and one of the best to ever don a Flyers jersey. A falling out with then-GM Clarke led to Lindros' departure from Philadelphia via trade with the Rangers in 2001, and it took a decade for the two sides to reconcile.

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In recent years, Lindros has played in various charity and outdoor games with Flyers alumni, and was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame with his friend and linemate LeClair in 2014.

Come January, Eric Lindros will have a permanent place among the revered Flyers greats in the rafters at Wells Fargo Center.

Jim Cerny