| | Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers are doing quite well
without Eric Lindros. The same can't be said for retailers looking
to sell licensed products bearing his name.
Lindros hasn't played since March 13 because of a concussion. He
received another concussion Thursday, and his season is most likely
over.
Considering his tense relationship with management, the
expiration of his contract at the end of the season and the fact
he's had five concussions in two years, his career as a Flyer may
be over as well.
It's no surprise then that plenty of No. 88 jerseys can be found
on the racks at sporting goods stores across the Philadelphia area.
"We have more Lindros jerseys than any other player," said
Greg Winfrey, a manager at Dick's in Mt. Laurel, N.J. "He just
hasn't been selling. We don't see many of his jersey move out of
here."
At Modell's in South Philadelphia, Lindros jerseys have been
discounted 50 percent to $59.99. It hasn't made much of a
difference.
"Everything is doing pretty well except Lindros," store
manager Jamie Courtney said. "After the injury, he stopped
selling."
But Al Hannan of Al's Rainbow in South Philadelphia, has another
explanation for the decline in sales of Lindros apparel. Hannan
said Lindros hasn't been a popular seller in his store for two
years.
"It's not really a negative situation," Hannan said. "If you
bought a Lindros jersey five years ago, unless you ruined it, why
buy another one?"
Younger players like Simon Gagne and Brian Boucher are gaining
popularity. Mark Recchi, who had an All-Star season, is a hot
seller and so is John LeClair, a perennial All-Star.
"People aren't buying Lindros jerseys because they think he's
not going to be back next year," said Tom DiGirolamo, a Flyers fan
from Glendora, N.J.
Without Lindros, the Flyers beat Pittsburgh in Game 6 on Tuesday
night to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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