In the Corners: Pressure on Lindros
By Brian A. Shactman
ESPN.com
There are so many ways to look at the return of Eric Lindros. But one thing to keep in mind is that anything short of a Stanley Cup title for the Flyers means a whole lot of culpability will be heaped on Lindros' shoulders.
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FLYERS IN PLAYOFFS
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|
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Record
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Winning Pct.
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With Lindros
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27-21
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.563
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Without
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15-10
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.600
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Think about it. Flyers GM Bobby Clarke allows Lindros to return. If the Flyers lose the series with the Devils, the tough Philly fandom will blame Lindros. If the Flyers go all the way with Lindros, Clarke comes out looking great as a "hands-off" GM, and Lindros is a hero.
But even if the Flyers get past the Devils and lose in the finals, plenty of pundits will chirp, "It would have been nice to see if they could have won it without the Lindros distraction" -- which is just a euphemism for it being Lindros' fault.
All these hypotheticals place the pressure, no matter how it's viewed, squarely on Lindros.
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FLYERS THIS SEASON
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|
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Record
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Winning Pct.
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|
With Lindros
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30-16-9
|
.627
|
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Without
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26-14-3
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.640
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Is that fair? Of course not. But Lindros isn't 100-percent victim, either.
Lindros' desire to play cannot be doubted. But perhaps, his motivation can be. Let's face it, Lindros is a premier player in the NHL. He is big, skilled and mean. The prototype power forward, perhaps the best since Cam Neely in his prime. But if Lindros truly wanted to "help the team," he should have just said he was ready and waited for the team to ask him back. Who knows if the guys in the locker room would have, but the mesage would have been clear: It's about the Flyers winning. Period.
Now, there's a built-in excuse if the Flyers lose. Anything short of a championship will give the Flyers an easy out: It was Lindros' fault.
That's not an envious position to be in.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com. |
