Eric Lindros

Eric Bryan Lindros (born February 28, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.

Lindros was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Toronto.

As a youth, Lindros played in the 1985 and 1987 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Toronto Marlboros and Toronto Young Nationals minor ice hockey teams, respectively.

As a teenage power forward playing minor hockey, Lindros became nationally famous both for his scoring feats and his ability to physically dominate players older than himself.

He attended Monarch Park and later North Toronto Collegiate in Toronto.

Both Eric and his younger brother Brett (Eric in 1988–89) played for the Metro Junior "B" St. Michael's Buzzers before moving up to the OHL.

Lindros's play made him the most highly valued amateur player in North America and he was often nicknamed "The Next One", a reference to Wayne Gretzky's moniker "The Great One."

Throughout his career, Lindros has been tagged with various other nicknames, including "The Big E."

The hype around Lindros during his early career led to an exclusive deal with sports card manufacturer Score.

Attempting to leverage this arrangement as much as possible, he was even featured on a baseball card showing him as a third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, although the closest he came to a professional baseball career was taking batting practice one day with the Blue Jays.

Lindros refused to sign with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds after being drafted from St. Michael's. Greyhounds owner Phil Esposito had drafted him anyway, enabling Esposito to sell his share in the team at a higher price.

Lindros was traded to the Oshawa Generals instead.

During his OHL career, Lindros led the Generals to a Memorial Cup victory in 1990.

Internationally, Lindros represented Canada at the World Junior Championships three times (1990, 1991 and 1992), winning gold medals in 1990 and 1991.

He was Canada's all-time points leader at the World Junior Championships with 31 points until surpassed by Connor Bedard in 2023, five points ahead of Jordan Eberle and Brayden Schenn.

He played parts of three seasons for the Generals from 1990 to 1992.

During that time, he scored 180 goals, 200 assists, 380 points and had 437 penalty minutes in 157 games played.

Lindros helped lead the Generals to the 1990 J. Ross Robertson Cup, and a 1990 Memorial Cup victory.

During the 1990–91 season, Lindros won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as top scorer, the Red Tilson Trophy as MVP, the CHL Player of the Year award and the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award.

The Generals returned to the Robertson Cup finals, facing Sault Ste.

Marie.

The series was one of the more dramatic in OHL history given Lindros's attitude toward the team, with fans from the Soo loudly jeering him every time he touched the puck.

The Greyhounds upset the heavily favoured defending champions in a six-game series, winning the last game on home ice.

He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Oshawa Generals prior to being chosen first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques.

Prior to being drafted in 1991, Lindros captured the Red Tilson Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player in the OHL, and also was named the CHL Player of the Year.

Lindros was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.

He refused to play for the Nordiques and was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in June 1992 in exchange for a package of players and draft picks including Peter Forsberg.

Lindros began his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Flyers during the 1992–93 season.

He was an exemplary power forward, and averaged more than a point per game.

His hard-nosed style caused him to miss significant time with injuries, and he had many problems with concussions.

In Olympic play, Lindros represented Canada three times (1992, 1998 and 2002), winning a silver medal in 1992 and gold in 2002.

Lindros has also represented Canada's senior team at the World Hockey Championships, leading the squad in scoring at the 1993 tournament.

Lindros captured the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP and Lester B. Pearson Award as the most outstanding player after the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season.

In August 2001, Lindros joined the New York Rangers via a trade.

He then signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2005–06 season before finishing his career in 2006–07 with the Dallas Stars.

On March 6, 2008, the Generals retired his jersey number 88, the second number to be retired by the franchise, and it was declared Eric Lindros Day in Oshawa.

In 2016, Lindros was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame where he credited the quality facilities in London, Ontario, his coaches, and his parents for his success.

In 2016 Lindros was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Lindros's jersey, #88, was retired by the Flyers in 2018.