Making the Case for Lindros as a Hall of Famer

With the inclusion of Pavel Bure into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday, that leaves Eric Lindros and Brendan Shanahan as two of the big name players from the 90's not to be in the Hall.  Shanahan will get in next year, there is no question (at least, I hope he does, lest the committee wants to feel the Shanaban), but what about Lindros?  Today, I will argue for why Lindros should be in the Hall (besides the fact that Bure will be getting in, as I believe both should be in together).

As you know, Lindros' career was star-crossed, from the low point of refusing to wear the Quebec Nordiques jersey on draft day, which forced a massive trade to Philadelphia to the high of winning the Hart Trophy and losing out on the Art Ross in 1995 (yes, I know it was a lockout shortened season, but you also didn't have Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky didn't nearly have the supporting cast he had in the past).  In 1997, he led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals (one of two times the Flyers have been in the last fifteen years, the other being 2010), and with 290 goals and 369 assists at the end of the 1999-2000 season as a Flyer, things were looking up from a statistics standpoint.  However, there were two things standing in the way of true greatness: his concussion history, which would eventually emasculate his playing style, and the fallout with upper management in the Flyers organization.  Let's be clear, the issues with management, namely General Manager Bobby Clarke, began in 1998, when Lindros began to suffer multiple injury issues.  This was at a time in which Lindros was hitting his prime, and even with the injury and management issues, he still put up good numbers, as he averaged more than a point a game in a Flyers uniform.  Yes, that means every season he played in Philadelphia.  He would sit out the 2000-01 season, after more management problems with the Flyers (namely blocking a trade to Toronto, near Lindros' hometown of London, Ontario).  For the 2001-02 season, he would suit up for the New York Rangers, where he would average a point a game his first year there, but he was never really the same player in the seasons after, not even a year in Toronto in 2005-06 would revive his numbers.  He would retire in 2007 after an uneventful year in Dallas, and despite not dominating for a longer period of time, he still averaged over a point a game for his career.  Lindros is the ultimate "What If" in that he could have been a more physical Mario Lemieux (another "What If" story) had concussions not curtailed a promising career that showed flashes of brilliance from the time he stepped onto an NHL rink in 1992 until the concussion heard around the world in the 2000 playoffs.  Even when he had a chance to shine in the playoffs, he made the most of his opportunities, averaging a point a game in his playoff career, with the 1997 playoffs being his best, 26 points in 19 games.  Life is unfair sometimes, and while Pavel Bure is rewarded for being a dynamic player whose career was cut short by knee problems, Lindros sits on the outside.  This is why I am making a pitch for Lindros to be in the Hall of Fame next year: he put up comparable numbers that Bure did, and he has an MVP trophy (Hart), something Bure never won in his career.  His past transgressions off the ice may keep him from getting in, but the Hall of Fame should be about what happens on the ice and how much of an impact you make (I'm looking at you, Dino Ciccarelli), something Lindros did for the Flyers when given a chance.