Was Eric Lindros the most dominating player ever?

[jmatchett]

Did he have a reputation even then, or did you not know who he was?

[centrehice]

A small local one. He jumped me after elbowing me in the chops, and ramming my face into the wire above the boards. Not all rinks could afford glass back then most had heavy wire.

Anyway, I took exception to his two dirty shots against me and gave him a jab behind the knee with the front of the blade of my stick. Today people called that spearing, in the 70's it was just to let somebody know you didn't like his previous behaviour.

Within seconds, he had hit me about 19 times. I am not a fighter. 27 years of contact Hockey, 4 fights total and 2 broken noses. LOL. I am milk-toast as a Hockey Fighter, and not very large.

My job was to give the Goaltender a sunburn from the red light going on so often.

[mooneyes]

Well this thread has turned into a tough guy one, but to the original question, Big E was dominate offensively, anyone who is The guy on a line called the Legion of Doom has to be pretty good. Unfortunately most players, no matter how great, don't seem to get much respect if their careers are shortened, aside from Orr. Regardless, just my opinion, no one can touch Mario, especially the year he came back from cancer and racked up 60 pts in only 20 games to over take Lafontaine for the scoring title. I have never seen anyone make the game look so easy, it was ridiculous. He looked like a man playing against boys in a game of shinny. He even made Ray Bourque look like a fool in the finals which is no small feat. In regards to fighting, that wasn't his deal, although when he had had enough of being held, hacked and whacked, and decided to drop em, no one was to keen on engaging the big guy.

[pwaldo]

Lindros was a dominate offensive force when he was healthy on the Flyers but even then I don't think it would be accurate to call him the most dominating player ever.

[centrehice]

Well this thread has turned into a tough guy one, but to the original question, Big E was dominate offensively, anyone who is The guy on a line called the Legion of Doom has to be pretty good. Unfortunately most players, no matter how great, don't seem to get much respect if their careers are shortened, aside from Orr. Regardless, just my opinion, no one can touch Mario, especially the year he came back from cancer and racked up 60 pts in only 20 games to over take Lafontaine for the scoring title. I have never seen anyone make the game look so easy, it was ridiculous. He looked like a man playing against boys in a game of shinny. He even made Ray Bourque look like a fool in the finals which is no small feat. In regards to fighting, that wasn't his deal, although when he had had enough of being held, hacked and whacked, and decided to drop em, no one was to keen on engaging the big guy.

With good reason. Orr is the only player in NHL History that changed the way the game was played.

People still fawn over Cam Neely, a guy that should only be in the Hall the same way we all are, by paying the admission fee.

[30ranfordfan]

Very simple answer, 'no'.

If the question was something like "Was Eric Lindros the most dominating combination of skill and power ever?" you might be able to construct a pretty good argument (even if it was for a short period of time). But most dominating player ever? No. Just look at the definition of the word:

(Dominate)
The exercise of control or influence over someone or something, or the state of being so controlled.

The fact is, Lindros was NEVER able to influence the outcome of a hockey game the way Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux could. I would suggest that he couldn't force his will onto a entire game as well as Jaromir Jagr could, or Sidney Crosby can today. Those are the four players I've seen play (I'm in my early 30s, too young to really have a fair opinion on Richard, Howe, Orr, etc) that I would consider the most dominate. There was a stretch in the late 90s where Lindros was arguably the best player in the league, but never at the level those guys were (or are).

Lindros was a spectacular power forward. Probably the best ever who gets the 'Power Forward' label. Most dominating though? Don't confuse the added ability of physical force (vs someone like Gretzky) with the ability to control a game's outcome. At least to me, that's what dominating a hockey game means - and nobody could do it to the level of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky's abilities with the puck (compared to his contemporaries) was so dominate, that the fact that he didn't really hit, and didn't have the size - it's irrelevant.

[centrehice]

It's about control. You are absolutely correct.


Players that were able to dictate the way the game was played by themselves:


Orr
Gretzky
Mario
Howe
Richard
Kharlamov
Tretiak

[mooneyes]

Very simple answer, 'no'.

If the question was something like "Was Eric Lindros the most dominating combination of skill and power ever?" you might be able to construct a pretty good argument (even if it was for a short period of time). But most dominating player ever? No. Just look at the definition of the word:

(Dominate)
The exercise of control or influence over someone or something, or the state of being so controlled.

The fact is, Lindros was NEVER able to influence the outcome of a hockey game the way Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux could. I would suggest that he couldn't force his will onto a entire game as well as Jaromir Jagr could, or Sidney Crosby can today. Those are the four players I've seen play (I'm in my early 30s, too young to really have a fair opinion on Richard, Howe, Orr, etc) that I would consider the most dominate. There was a stretch in the late 90s where Lindros was arguably the best player in the league, but never at the level those guys were (or are).

Lindros was a spectacular power forward. Probably the best ever who gets the 'Power Forward' label. Most dominating though? Don't confuse the added ability of physical force (vs someone like Gretzky) with the ability to control a game's outcome. At least to me, that's what dominating a hockey game means - and nobody could do it to the level of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky's abilities with the puck (compared to his contemporaries) was so dominate, that the fact that he didn't really hit, and didn't have the size - it's irrelevant.

I pretty much agree with all your points, except I think 99's size was relevant, it benefited him, he was so scrawny no one really played him hard, at least not like 66, who often had 2 guys draped on his back and he still scored, or got taken down with no penalty called. I won't bother with who is better, all I know is these 2 both had a special magic that was dominating and you were assured to see something special Every time you watched them. There are some great talents today of course, but I just don't see the magic these 2 had game in game out. Considering Orr's legendary status, I suspect he was the same but I didn't see him play.

[centrehice]

I pretty much agree with all your points, except I think 99's size was relevant, it benefited him, he was so scrawny no one really played him hard, at least not like 66, who often had 2 guys draped on his back and he still scored, or got taken down with no penalty called. I won't bother with who is better, all I know is these 2 both had a special magic that was dominating and you were assured to see something special Every time you watched them. There are some great talents today of course, but I just don't see the magic these 2 had game in game out. Considering Orr's legendary status, I suspect he was the same but I didn't see him play.

Disagree. Gretzky was hammered into the boards and started getting the back spasms the same way Mario did. The one season where Gretz had returned, Gary Suter cross-checked him into the boards from behind, and the rest was history.

Gretzky and Mario both had to retire, not because they weren't effective any longer, but because they had BOTH sustained severe cross-checks to the back, causing permanent injury.

I liked Wayne Gretzky, but he was not on my team. I cannot however stand the punk that is Gary Suter. When you ruin the career of arguably the greatest that's ever played and aren't remorseful, then there is no room for you as a human.

[mooneyes]

Disagree. Gretzky was hammered into the boards and started getting the back spasms the same way Mario did. The one season where Gretz had returned, Gary Suter cross-checked him into the boards from behind, and the rest was history.

Gretzky and Mario both had to retire, not because they weren't effective any longer, but because they had BOTH sustained severe cross-checks to the back, causing permanent injury.

I liked Wayne Gretzky, but he was not on my team. I cannot however stand the punk that is Gary Suter. When you ruin the career of arguably the greatest that's ever played and aren't remorseful, then there is no room for you as a human.

Yeah I will never forget that sob Suter, was shocked when he drilled Gretz with such a dirty cross check like that, kinda seemed there was respect between players up to that point, but since than, not so much.