Eric Lindros: The rise of a Flyers icon | Sports Daily Newsletter
Lindros had talent and off-the-charts physical ability.
Eric Lindros had the size and the skill to become an all-time hockey great. His junior hockey career was stupendous, and he was crowned “The Next One.”
Then he came to the Flyers. In moments and in flashes, it was all there, the talent and ability to take a team to the next level, the almost ethereal ability of a massively muscled man to zip across the ice and shoot a puck into the goal.
Philadelphia and Flyers fans had waited so long, and here the team had a superlative skater and scorer in Lindros. The power forward seemed to have only one speed — full tilt. It was exhilarating, but also risky, and Lindros’ luck ran out against a harsh reality of injuries, especially concussions.
What might have been never negated the damn good that Lindros was for Philadelphia for years, however. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016. Lindros is an icon without a doubt.
Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
❓ If you were a Flyers fan during the Lindros era, what’s your standout memory or moment from that time? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
Eagles second-round pick Cam Jurgens was drafted to become the eventual heir to the center position as Jason Kelce won’t be here forever. From talking to Nebraska coach Scott Frost, we start to get the picture of Jurgens as an athlete who’s just scratching the surface of what he can do at the position. And Jurgens — he of the Beef Jurgy brand — has got a mean streak about him as well on the field.
June has always been a good month to Kyle Schwarber on the baseball field. His numbers go up across the board, especially this season, when he hit 12 home runs and posted an OPS of 1.065. So how does he explain it? He can’t, and if he could then maybe we’d have a better indication of whether he can keep it going in July just when the Bryce Harper-less Phillies need him most.
Connor Brogdon is likely to return soon for the Phillies, who are missing a number of injured players as a road trip looms.
The heroics from Schwarber continued, but to no avail against the Nationals this time.
Next: The Phillies wrap up their series against the Nationals at 4:05 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP).
The Houston connection became even stronger Wednesday as P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., both former Rockets, signed contracts with the Sixers, joining James Harden, Daryl Morey, and Trevelin Queen, who signed Friday. Tucker’s deal was for three years and $33.2 million, while House inked a two-year, $8.5 million contract and inherited Ben Simmons’ old number.
Tucker, in particular, brings a brand of toughness the Sixers have lacked, while House has established himself in the league as a three-and-D player.
While the NHL draft begins tonight (more on that here), the Flyers’ season officially starts Oct. 13 against the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center.
The team released its complete 82-game schedule Wednesday, and there were plenty of interesting takeaways. Olivia Reiner tells you which key dates you need to mark on your calendar.
Worth a look
What a road trip: South Jersey’s Hannah Hidalgo is with the U.S. Under-17 team at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
Philly injury moments: That feeling fans get in the pit of their stomachs when in a crucial game a top player goes down? Relive the worst Philly ones with the Inquirer’s Isabella DiAmore.
What you’re saying about the Flyers’ draft
We asked you: What is the biggest need for the Flyers heading into this week’s NHL draft?
Among your responses:
Offensively they need two forwards that are snipers, each capable of scoring 30+ goals. Additionally they need a play maker to replace [Claude] Giroux.
Defensively they need better team defense, as the team couldn’t hold a lead last year, the few times they had one. A start would be to add another quality first pair d man and two more for the second pair.
Getting Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier back and playing at there previously high level is crucial to the team’s success , but as of now this is far from a certainty. — Jeff M.
Speed coupled with athleticism. — Dave S.
This isn’t a single answer question. Rather, the problems with the franchise are so pervasive that multiple things have to change. To wit:
The front office is a worst-case scenario. Those in positions of authority are bland, faceless corporate types who know little about hockey, and care only insofar as it affects the quarterly reports. Ed Snider’s passion to win might as well be extinct. Barring a sale of the franchise, the entire front office needs to be stripped down to a bare chassis and overhauled completely with actual hockey executives.
[Chuck] Fletcher as a general manager is a perfect reflection of those who hired him: bland; corporate; vanilla; uninspiring. If he were a color, he’d be off-white. With Fletcher, the Flyers will settle perennially for second or third best. What is needed is a general manager who operates the same way as Ike did as president: he’ll let a number of learned types have their day in court, and in the end, he’ll make the decision and take full responsibility publicly.
While an overhaul is ongoing, that extends to scouting, player evaluation and player development. The Flyers are inept at all three. That’s fundamental to developing an elite franchise.
The medical staff is of questionable competence. As a prime example, look no further than Ryan Ellis. His situation has been mishandled from the start. And this is merely the latest in a decades-long litany of getting it wrong and bending to a front office trying to hurry a player back so the bottom line is adversely affected to a minimum (case in point: Lindros). — John B.
E. V. E. R. Y. T. H. I. N. G. !!!
All kidding aside, they need the absolute fastest, highest skill guy with a huge upside in the Pro game. Doesn’t matter if it’s a forward or a D’man. Todays game is about speed and skill….period!
We should be able to get that player with #5 in this draft.
Please don’t bleep this up on your way out the door Chuck!!!
PS Please say a prayer that all of our seriously injured and/or surgically repaired players return to full health for this whole season. Especially Ellis! — Brian L.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gustav Elvin, Isabella DiAmore, Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Alex Coffey, Mike Jensen, Joey Piatt, and Josh Tolentino.