The Eric Lindros trade revisited

Last week, Rangers forward Eric Lindros was diagnosed with the eighth concussion of his career.

As a result, he probably won't play again this season and it could just be the end of his career.

When Lindros was traded from the Quebec Nordiques to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1995 it was the biggest trade the NHL had ever seen.

I think it is a good time to reflect back upon the trade.

To fairly judge the trade, I think it is important to give my thoughts on Lindros.

It is very difficult for me to call Eric Lindros a disappointment, however, I think it is best to call the career of Lindros a disappointment.

He did win a Hart trophy and he did lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997.

As it turned out, the 1997 finals were the high point of his career.

A feud began between Flyers General Manager, Bobby Clarke, and Eric Lindros and his family, which marked the beginning of the end of his time in Philly.

Rumors had it that his family tried to tell Clarke who Lindros should have on his line and how much ice time Lindros should get.

To me this is just as disgraceful as Joe Horn pulling out a cellphone after scoring a touchdown, or Barry Bonds standing and admiring his home runs.

They are all individualistic, and not about the "team."

I won't put all of the blame on Lindros, however.

Clarke questioned Lindros' "heart" numerous times when he wanted Lindros to play after suffering from a concussions.

He even went as far as to invite all of the Flyers media members to witness the "C" being taken off of his jersey.

Personally, I don't believe that embarrassment is a good way for someone to make their point and is a selfish way of dong business.

While things soured in Philadelphia, things blossomed for the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche.

A couple of years after the Lindros trade, the Nordiques moved to Denver and became the Avalanche.

The main player that Colorado received in the trade was a young prospect named Peter Forsberg.

Not many people knew who Forsberg was at the time, but he became an almost certain hockey Hall of Famer.

He's won the Calder Trophy for being the league's best rookie in 1995, the Hart Trophy in 2003 for being the league's most valuable player, and last season he also won the Art Ross Trophy for scoring the most points during the regular season.

Forsberg has blossomed into the best forward in the NHL and the perfect combination of speed and size.

Along with Forsberg, the Nordiques also received Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, a pair of draft picks and some money as well.

This is ultimately what makes the trade as lopsided as it was, and in the end, helped Colorado win two Stanley Cups and eight consecutive division titles.

Two of those players, Ricci and Duchense, were instrumental in helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup.

Ricci was a productive forward for the Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 1996.

He scored 17 points in his team's 22 playoff games, and provided depth and toughness to a team that was known simply for scoring a lot of goals.

Simon spent four years with Quebec and Colorado and also added depth and toughness.

For Colorado, their climb to success all started when Lindros went to Philadelphia.

For Lindros, if this is his last season, it will be the end of a disappointing career.