Former Flyer Eric Lindros to receive Living Legend Award
Another day, another honor for former Flyer Eric Lindros.
Lindros, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last month, was named the winner of the Living Legend Award by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association on Thursday.
He will be honored at the association's 113th annual banquet on Feb. 3 at the Crowne
Lindros called it a "great honor" to win the award.
Some of the previous winners include the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik, Tommy McDonald, Bill Bergey, Pete Retzlaff, Tom Brookshier, and Steve Van Buren; the Phillies' Larry Bowa, Dick Allen, Pete Rose, Tug McGraw, Rich Ashburn, and Robin Roberts; the Flyers' Bob Clarke, Bernie Parent, and Bill Barber; the 76ers' Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, and (coach) Jack Ramsay; and boxers Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Lindros revolutionized the power-forward position with a rare combination: speed and hockey skills not seen in a player that size.
Lindros won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP in 1994-95 and finished in the top 10 five times during a 13-year career that was cut short because of concussions.
When he did play, he was dominating: 865 points and 372 goals in 760 games. His points-per-game average (1.14) ranks 19th in NHL history.
"I was very fortunate to have coaches, teammates, billets and parents who supported me throughout my career," Lindros said.
Lindros, 43, played with the Flyers from 1993 to 2000 and ranks fifth on their all-time scoring list with 659 points in 456 games. During the Flyers portion of his career, he averaged 1.36 points per game, by far the most in franchise history.
During his most dominating decade, only Mario Lemieux (1.99) and Jaromir Jagr (1.42) averaged more points per game than Lindros (1.31).
In addition to Lindros, there will be numerous other honorees, including Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who set several rookie records in 2015-16 and is the association's pro athlete of the year, and several Flyers captains from their history as the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Breakaways
Entering Thursday, Claude Giroux was plus-7 in his last six games, all wins, and Michael Raffl led the Flyers with a plus-5 rating for the season. … The Flyers on Thursday allowed the first goal for the 19th time in 29 games. … Edmonton's Dillon Simpson, who made his NHL debut Thursday, and Drake Caggiula played for Flyers coach Dave Hakstol when he directed North Dakota.