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The Circus is
Coming to Town!
Written By D.
Bennett 08/27/01
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Did you hear that the circus is coming to New York?
No, I'm not talking about Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey. I'm
referring to the Eric Lindros circus. Yes, it will be in New York
for as long as good old Eric decides it should be. When he gets
tired of the scene there, Gets treated badly by the press and the
organization, or when he gets rubbed the wrong way by the New York
fans, he'll just refuse to play anymore. Eric will go sit in the
corner with his pacifier and bot-bot until Daddy and Uncle Gordie
(Gordon Kirke) get it all figured out and find another new venue for
the so called "Greatest show on earth."
Since his days in junior hockey Eric has been in control of when and
where he will play. That is, of course, until he met up with a mean
and stubborn GM from Philadelphia.
O.K., Bobby Clarke didn't exactly help matters when it came to
dealing with Eric's needs, but what was he supposed to do? The
entire city of Philadelphia, The working class town that Clarkie
once shed blood for, was kidnapped and being held hostage by the
Lindros camp. Worse yet, the kidnappers had a list of demands that
were impossible to adhere to (I'll only play in Toronto. Give me a
break!). All Clarkie could do was sit and wait for the demands to
soften. And sure enough, they did.
I must honestly say that no one could have been more excited than I
was when the Flyers landed this superstar in 92'. He was referred to
as "The next one", "The E-Train". He has the
body of an NFL linebacker; He's a fast skater that has the on ice
grace of Peggy Flemming. He can shoot the puck with the accuracy of
Mario Lemieux, and to top it all off, he has a slap shot like a
Howitzer. He seemed to be the complete package.
Back in 92' in Philly, the fans weren't talking about when we would
win the Stanley Cup but rather, how many cups we would get with this
kid. Ohhh the disappointment!
I've watched Eric very closely throughout his NHL career and I can
say now without a doubt that in my opinion he will not be the player
to bring anyone a Stanley Cup. I'm not saying that he will never win
a Stanley cup with some team. And I'm not questioning the man's
talent. Hey, when this guy turns it on, there is just no stopping
him. I've seen those flashes of brilliance. All I'm just simply
saying that Eric is not the hockey savior that he was once touted
as. He will not be the defining, Conn Smythe type of player in any
championship run. He doesn't have the leadership abilities, He's not
a real team player, and he does not have the mental part of his game
down. Not to mention the sideshow of his personal life. It's not
Eric's hockey skills that get in the way of his success; it is those
soft skills and some bad luck with recurring injuries that will
prevent him from ever ascending to the heights of a Gretzky or Lemieux.
The deal with the Rangers was a great one for Philadelphia. They
unload a player that refused to ever lace up his skates again for
them, and in return, they get 3 potentially excellent young players.
These 3 players could have a huge impact in Philadelphia hockey for
some time to come The Flyers really got something for nothing.
The Rangers also got what they wanted. A marquee name to put fans in
the seats. A player who still has a lot of potential to be a
superstar in the NHL. And at the very least Ranger hockey will be
much more interesting to watch this year compared to last year.
Let's face it though; Eric is like a banged up, beat up Ferarri. It
would be a great and powerful car if you could fix it up. But the
problem is that you can't fix up Eric. His knees are questionable
and one good shot to the head will end his career. On top of that
Eric's shortcomings as a player are the things that can't really be
taught. And at this stage in his career I would say he's pretty much
set in his ways.
The only hope for New York is that some how Mark Messier, Eric's
childhood hero, can get through to him and at least start him in a
direction that would make him a more complete hockey package.
The fans in New York are upset at the deal and I can understand why.
The Rangers traded away a big part of their future for a guy that
may or may not last 6 months. Sather must love to gamble. If Eric
comes through and lives up to his potential, it will be like hitting
the lottery. But if not...
I've got to believe that Sather will be holding his breath every
time Eric takes to the ice, He will cringe every time Eric sustains
or dishes out a check. I hope Sather has a strong stomach because
this season may seem like a very long roller coaster ride to him. If
Eric goes down with another concussion (and I sure hope he doesn't),
this trade will go down as the worst in hockey history for the
Rangers. The fans and the press will be calling for Sather's head
(no pun intended).
If Eric does have a monster season and a lot of other pieces fall
into place for New York, maybe the Rangers can reel in one more
Stanley cup and make Sather look like some kind of genius, while
making Clarke look like the village idiot. (If the Rangers did win
the cup this year it would be the biggest miracle on ice since the
1980 US Olympic team!) All I can say is that the Rangers better win
it all soon because 70% of their roster will become eligible for
Social Security in the next few years and they just traded away most
of their young, up and coming talent to the Flyers.
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages: Enjoy the circus while
it playing in New York. But, be sure to catch it as soon as you can
because there's really no way of telling how long it will be in
town. |
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