Nick Piccone
Imagine Eric Lindros taking part in that fantastic quarterfinal playoff series in 2012 where the fifth-seeded Flyers took out the fourth-seeded Penguins in six games. Imagine it, because it almost happened, according to the former Flyers captain.
Lindros, speaking to the media on Friday, revealed that then-general manager Paul Holmgren asked Lindros to come back and play… five years after his retirement from the NHL , after his appearance in the alumni game before 2012’s Winter Classic game against the New York Rangers. [ESPN]
“[Former Flyers GM] Paul Holmgren called me after the outdoor game and started talking gibberish about cap space and things like that in Philadelphia,” Lindros said with a chuckle. “We were playing in that baseball stadium, and I think he had the worst seat in the house. He was up in the bleachers or something, I don’t know what game he was watching. I don’t know what game he was watching, but I got a call. And [I thought]: ‘Geez, are you kidding me?'”
Holmgren, now president of the Flyers, confirmed via text message to ESPN on Friday that he indeed made the offer to Lindros and that he was serious, too.
“Thought he would be a good trade-deadline addition,” Holmgren said.
Lindros, 43, was asked on Friday what his response to Holmgren was at the time.
“Are you nuts?” he said he told Holmgren.
Holmgren insists the offer was real, but Lindros didn’t know what to make of it.
“I don’t know. He was talking cap space and he was getting right into it. I don’t know if he was pulling my leg or not, I don’t know,” Lindros said. “I think he was pretty serious, but I was laughing.”
Holmgren has to be screwing with us, right? There’s no way that offer was real… RIGHT?
In any event, if Lindros did return, he could have gotten revenge in the second round of the playoffs against the New Jersey Devils and maybe that series would have ended differently. Maybe.
Lindros will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, alonside former Flyers coach, the late Pat Quinn, Sergei Makarov and Rogie Vachon.