The Forgotten Four

The Big E is getting his big day... but what about the others?


Number 88 is no longer available.

Eric Lindros will have his number 88 retired in January

The Philadelphia Flyers announced this week that they will retire Eric Lindros’ famed jersey number in a special ceremony this January.

The “Big E” will join Flyers greats Bernie Parent, Mark Howe, Barry Ashbee, Bill Barber and Bobby Clarke as the only players to have their numbers retired. Lindros who last year was inducted into the hockey hall of fame, served as captain from 1994 to 2000.

News of Lindros’ impending sweater retirement is hardly surprising. During his time in Philadelphia, Lindros emerged as a star forward amassing 290 goals and 659 points in 486 games. Along the way he captured the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson (now Ted Lindsay) award. A string of concussion related injuries and a very public falling out with Flyers GM Bobby Clarke, lead to Lindros being dealt to the New York Rangers in the summer 2001.

Few in the hockey world would argue Lindros' star status. His number being retired by Philadelphia is a well-deserved honor. That said, is Lindros jumping to the front of the line? With more than 50 years worth of star players, are the Flyers putting Lindros' jersey retirement ahead of others?

Here are four Philadelphia Flyers who deserve to have their number retired BEFORE Eric Lindros.

Mark Recchi - 8

Solid and dependable, this gritty right-winger had two stints in Philly where his work ethic and tenacity lead him to set a franchise record for points in a season with 123. Recchi who will be inducted into the hockey hall of fame this November, was much faster and far less prone to injury than Lindros. Oh, and unlike the “Big E”, Recchi broke the 50-goal mark in a Flyers uniform.

Mark Recchi was a constant scoring threat for Philadelphia

Ron Hextall - 27

Ron Hextall's impact on goaltending is undeniable. Not only was he the first goalie to score a goal by shooting into an empty net - a feat he managed twice and in a Flyers uniform I might add- he inspired a generation of netminders, Martin Brodeur among them, with his style of play. In his rookie year he won the Vezina trophy and lead Philadelphia to the 1987 Stanley Cup Final where he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort. He would return to the Flyers in 1996-97 again taking them to the final. Hextall's aggressiveness in goal endeared him to fans as he was suspended multiple times. A Broad Street Bully if there ever was one.

Ron Hextall was both a threat on offence & defence

Pelle Lindbergh - 31

Since his tragic death in a car accident at age 26, no Flyers goalie has dared wear Pelle Lindbergh's number 31 - and rightfully so. Lindbergh was the first European born and trained goalie to be a star in the NHL. He would win the Vezina trophy and be named to the all-star game in 1983 and 1985. At the 1986 all-star game he would become the first player in NHL history to be posthumously selected. Flyers faithful still talk about what could have been but one thing is obvious - Pelle Lindbergh is revered.

Pelle Lindbergh proved that european trained goalies could be stars in the NHL.

Reggie Leach - 27

A native of Riverton, Manitoba, Reggie Leach joined the Flyers in 1974 and had an instant impact on the club. The "Riverton Rifle" potted 45 goals that season and helped the Flyers claim their second-consecutive Stanley Cup. The following year, Leach would set career highs in goals with 61 - a club record that stands to this day - and points. His performance in the 1976 playoffs would cement Leach as one of the greatest players in Flyer history. Scoring 24 points in 16 games he won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. Leach also set an NHL record - which was tied by Jari Kurri - that playoff year with 19 goals. In short, Reggie Leach was a goal scoring machine and is considered one of the top 10 players in Flyer history.

Reggie Leach's 1976 playoff performance has yet to be matched in Philadelphia

The debate over which players are deserving of having their numbers retired is always spirited. However, some players are clearly no-brainers. While the Flyers prefer to have a player in the hall of fame before retiring their sweater, they would be wise to honour those who've helped shape the franchise. Mark Recchi, Ron Hextall, Pelle Lindbergh and Reggie Leach are deserving of having their numbers honoured as well.

On January 18th Eric Lindros will be celebrated and rightfully so. One can only hope that the Philadelphia Flyers give the "forgotten four" a celebration of their own sooner rather than later.

@HockeyCynic

Long Term Gamble

Long term contracts are proving popular in the NHL, but are they a wise move?

Fans in oil country are breathing a sigh of relief – again.

After signing league MVP Connor McDavid to an eight-year contract worth $100 million, the Edmonton Oilers have now locked up another of its young stars – long term.

Forward Leon Draisaitl will be in blue and orange until 2026 after agreeing to an eight-year $68 million deal. At 21 years of age, Draisaitl who paired well with McDavid last year – convinced Oiler brass that he’s already a superstar.

Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl will be in Edmonton for 8 years after signing deals worth a combined $168 million

If news of a player signing an eight year deal seems underwhelming, it should be. In recent years, NHL teams have signed more and more players to long term contracts – from Toronto’s Nikita Zaitsev (seven-year $31.5 million), to Montreal’s Carey Price (eight-year $84 million) and the 2014 signings of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane by Chicago (also eight-year $10.5 Million respectively) the trend towards long term deals shows no signs of slowing down.

Long term contracts are certainly nothing new in pro hockey.

Wayne Gretzky signed a 21 year contract on his 18^th birthday. The deal orchestrated by then Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, was a personal services contract meant to keep “The Great One” with the team until 1999. Everyone in Edmonton is painfully aware of how that worked out.

Gretzky would be sold to Los Angeles less than a decade after signing his 21 year deal

While Gretzky’s deal was largely a publicity stunt, some teams have awarded long-term deals with disastrous results.

Plagued with declining attendance, New York Islanders Owner Charles Wang traded for disgruntled Ottawa Senators star Alexei Yashin and signed him to a ten-year deal worth $87.5 Million. Yashin would last only four seasons on Long Island. Unable to find his form after returning from a knee injury, the Russian sniper managed 119 goals in 346 games before the Islanders bought out the remainder of his contract.

At the beginning of Yashin’s final season, the Islanders raised eyebrows by signing another player to a long term deal. Goaltender Rick DiPietro with only 58 wins in 144 games, was inked to an incredible 15-year, $67.5 million contract.  Like Yashin, DiPietro struggled through injuries, and inconsistent play.  After floundering in the minors and unable to unload his salary, the Islanders bought out the former 1^st-overall pick in July 2013.

While not every long term deal becomes a DiPietro-esque catastrophe for ownership, it does beg the question – Are long term contracts in the best interest of the NHL, its fans or even its players?

Agents certainly prefer them and owners like them because they feel they’re appeasing fans with long term planning.

That said, I would argue these types of deals do more harm than good. Ask any New York Islanders fan what they think of long term contracts.

Struggling stars anchored to their team for nearly a decade – if not longer – makes fans apathetic. It also damages the credibility of ownership and the league by showing their inability to accurately project player development. While the bulk of long-term contracts don’t end badly, the risk is too great.

The solution? A five-year cap on NHL contracts.

Why not? If a player is worth $10 million a season, then sign them for five years. That’s $50 million for the player – nothing to cry about. If at the end of that contract they are still worth the same amount or even more – then sign them to another five year deal.

Rick DiPietro is the reason the NHL should employ a contract cap 

For a league that spent years preaching the need for “cost certainty” when it comes to player salary, it stands to reason that the NHL would embrace a contract cap.

Such a measure would still allow players to be millionaires and for their agents to profit off them. Most of all, it would mandate managerial sanity whenever an owner or GM decides a twenty-year contract is in their team’s best interest. 

Fans may be happy when a star is guaranteed to be in their team's jersey long term. However, a contract cap would also spare them from a great deal of frustration if things don't work out.

While a contract cap will likely never happen, in hockey just about anything is possible.

@HockeyCynic