Philadelphia Flyers: Top 10 Controversial Captains
7. Eric Lindros (1994-2000)
Speaking of Eric Lindros, he was named the captain in September of 1994 and had been through his share of controversy before he ever slipped on any Flyers sweater, let alone one with a “C” on the shoulder. He famously refused to sign with the Quebec Nordiques who drafted him as the #1 overall pick in the 1991 draft. Lindros sat out an entire season, and the Nordiques traded him at the 1992 Draft to two separate teams.
The Nordiques had brokered Lindros to the Flyers as well as the Rangers, and an arbitrator would eventually award him to the Flyers. In exchange, the Flyers sent $15 million, two first-round picks and five players, including Peter Forsberg and Ron Hextall, to the Nordiques. Forsberg would go on to win two Stanley Cups with the Nordiques franchise after they relocated to Colorado.
Eric Lindros; however; would never lift the Cup, in a Flyers sweater or any other. The Flyers were swept by the Red Wings in four games in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals and Lindros had just one goal in his only Stanley Cup Finals series.
The Feud
Lindros’s feud with GM Bobby Clarke was legendary, so much so that it overshadowed his skill. Clarke would question Lindros’s toughness, character, and his allowing his parents to meddle in his career. Lindros’s father called out the Flyer’s medical staff in writing for misdiagnosing a fractured rib that caused a punctured lung, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Great 88 was stripped of the C in March of 2000 after he publicly criticized the team’s trainers for failing to properly diagnose a concussion. He requested a trade to Toronto after the season; Clarke refused. Lindros sat out the entire 2000-01 season and was eventually traded to the New York Rangers.
It was thought that all was forgiven between Lindros, Clarke, and the Flyers organization. The Flyers feted Lindros when they retired his #88 sweater, and Lindros made a lovely speech, thanking the fans, his teammates, and his family. Quite obviously absent from his speech were Bobby Clarke and Ed Snider, leading one to believe that perhaps not all has been forgiven.