Lindros, LeClair inducted into Flyers Hall of Fame

PHILADELPHIA -- With the way Eric Lindros' time with the Philadelphia Flyers ended, many wondered whether he would ever go into the Flyers Hall of Fame.

Lindros, acquired by the Flyers in one of the biggest trades in NHL history, saw his time in Philadelphia end in acrimony and injury. He sat out a season while recovering from a concussion, and then demanded to be traded.

But that 2001 trade to the New York Rangers was a long time ago, and as Lindros said during a press conference Thursday, the passing of time heals all wounds.

That's why Lindros was all smiles Thursday as he and longtime linemate John LeClair were inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame.

"I think time dilutes most feelings," Lindros said. "Life's short. I think that can be said for both sides of the equation."

Lindros said the initial rebuilding of the relationship came when he took part in the festivities surrounding the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia, including playing in the alumni game.

"The outdoor game was more of a sense then of moving forward or crossing the hurdle in terms of being part of it again," Lindros said. "This feels good."

When the Flyers acquired LeClair in February 1995 and put him on a line with Lindros and Mikael Renberg, they were named the Legion of Doom for the way they used their size and strength to overwhelm the opposition. The line was the leading force as the Flyers went from five seasons out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to making the Eastern Conference Final in 1995 and the Stanley Cup Final in 1997.

"When we were rolling in mid-90s, we had extremely strong teams and it felt good to come to the rink," Lindros said. "It felt good to be part of the club in all facets. We had wonderful times, wonderful teammates. Guys with different characteristics, different personalities. We had a really good group."

During the three seasons the line was together, Lindros won the 1995 Hart Trophy and had reached single-season highs of 47 goals and 115 points in 1995-96. Lindros' career was shortened by concussions, but LeClair said Lindros' 865 points in 760 games with the Flyers, Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars should be enough to get him enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"I think it's an easy case," LeClair said. "When you look at Eric, when he played he was dominant. When you compare some of the players that have gotten in that played with him, it's not even close. When players were getting ready to play, they weren't saying, 'Oh my god, I have to play against so and so.' Every time they had to play against Eric, they'd know they were playing him two or three days ahead of time and they were ready because he was just a dominant force out there and they had to be ready. You can go through all the statistical stuff with the goals per game and all that other stuff. ... Whatever it is, his comparison blows a lot of guys away."

LeClair also said Lindros was a driving force in practices as well.

"Eric pushed you so hard," LeClair said. "You wanted to be better because you wanted to be able to keep up and be able to play with [Lindros], so you had to push yourself because he was that good."

LeClair was just as much of a scoring threat during his time on Lindros' line. He had a career-best 51 goals in 1995-96, the first of three straight with 50 and five straight with at least 40. LeClair finished his career with 406 goals in 967 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Lindros said if he goes into the Hall, then his linemate should be there with him.

"When I would get hurt, Johnny really stepped in and scored a lot of goals at big times when it looked like our team ... when we didn't have what we'd say was our normal roster. Johnny would really step up," he said.

Lindros and LeClair always appeared together on and off the ice as players, and they were together again for this latest honor.

"We've got a lot of friends in town, family in town," Lindros said. "It's a nice time to look back and say thanks and celebrate that window. That's the thing about pro sports. You're not looking at a real long time period. You're looking at a very short, intense moment. Some people are fortunate to stay 20 years in an organization, some people go back and forth and in and out. When you do have some real strong feeling that you're really rolling, you cherish it."

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