Philadelphia Flyers: Lindros and Quinn to be Inducted into Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario announced it’s 2016 inductees this afternoon. Two former Philadelphia Flyers will be honored, Center Eric Lindros and Coach Pat Quinn.

After 6 years of eligibility, Philadelphia Flyers legend Eric Lindros will finally be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. While this addition seems like a no-brainer to anyone who followed the Flyers in the 1990s, there are those who feel that his less than impressive career stats are not good enough to deserve admittance to Hockey’s most sacred club.

Drafted first overall in 1991 by the Quebec Nordiques, Lindros was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in June of 1992 after refusing to play for the Nordiques. Already causing a stir in the league before ever skating in an NHL game, Lindros set an early standard of controversy both on and off the ice.

Most notable among these controversies was the nasty feud involving Lindros’ parents and then General Manager Bobby Clarke, which resulted in Clark removing Lindros as captain of the team. However, those times are in the past now, and the focus is on Lindros’ contributions to the game as a player, and Clarke, a hall of famer himself and now a member of the selection committee, was a strong supporter of Lindros’ admittance into the Hall.

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After joining the Philadelphia Flyers in ’92, it didn’t take long for Lindros to have a major impact in the NHL. As a member of the feared “Legion of Doom” line with John LeClair and Mikael Renberg, Lindros scored over 40 goals in each of his first two seasons. He won the Hart Trophy for League MVP in 1994-95 and led the Flyers to a heart breaking Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Red Wings in 1997.

In 1998 Lindros’ aggressive play style caught up to him, as he suffered a concussion from a hit by Darius Kasparaitis that forced him to miss 18 games. After several more concussions and a collapsed lung, Lindros was traded to the New York Rangers in 2001, where he missed many games due to recurring injuries. Lindros played a few more injury riddled seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs before signing a one year deal with the Dallas Stars to end his career in 2007.

Nov 20, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former Philadelphia Flyers Eric Lindros and John LeClair during their induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame before game against the Minnesota Wild at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Although his career was very much cut off due to his injury troubles, Lindros’ stats when he was on the ice were impressive. Over nearly a 15 year career Lindros only played 760 games, but tallied 865 points, averaging over a point per game for his career. He was the 4th fastest player to reach 300 points and 400 points in NHL history, behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemiuex, and Peter Stastny. In 1998 Lindros was named the 54th best player of all time by The Hockey News and was the youngest player on the list.

Despite all the drama and setbacks he experienced in his career, Eric Lindros was a generational talent and very much deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame.

Lindros is not the only former Flyer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Coach Pat Quinn, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to a record setting 35 straight wins and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1980, will also be honored. Quinn began his coaching career with the Flyers in 1977 as an assistant to Flyers legend and Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero. Quinn also served as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, President and General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

Quinn was not a stranger to controversy himself. In 1986 Quinn was banned from coaching any NHL team for five years due to his signing a contract with the Canucks while still under contract with the Kings.

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In addition to a long NHL tenure serving several teams in differing roles, Quinn also had success on the international level, leading Team Canada to Olympic gold in 2002 and World Cup gold in 2004.

The 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration will be held from November 11-November 14 of this year.

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