The last Hall-of-Famer to wear No. 88 for the Rangers doesn’t keep the strictest watch on the NHL and one of his former teams these days. He’s a father of three, a Canadian hockey dad now. But Eric Lindros, whose NHL journey nearly took him to New York at its tumultuous start before he ended there a decade later for three mostly disappointing seasons, knows what it means when someone like Patrick Kane makes it to the Rangers.
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“He’s got the swagger, just like New York does,” Lindros said. “There’s something special about that place, about the Garden — it’s not just some hockey rink. You walk down the street and you can just as easily bump into Al Pacino as Artemi Panarin. Patrick is a special player and hopefully, he goes there to keep doing what he’s done, maybe even more.”
First spin in #NYR colors pic.twitter.com/s79Cnmv8lP
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) March 2, 2023
The two eras for the two 88s could not be more different. Perhaps the only thing that links Lindros and Kane is some of the star power on the Ranger teams they came to — Lindros arrived before the 2001-02 season to join Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and Theo Fleury. Pavel Bure would sign on near the trade deadline. But the Rangers weren’t Lindros’ first choice as he sat out the 2000-01 season with the Flyers due to a contract dispute, among other disputes between Lindros and then-Flyers GM Bobby Clarke.
“I said Toronto initially,” he said. “That’s home, I always had a dream of playing there. The deal was done a couple times, then (Leafs GM) Pat Quinn gave a press conference where he said they had a done deal and it was reneged on. So it was frustrating not getting there sooner.”
Glen Sather swooped in, trading what seemed like a big package at the time: Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, 1999 No. 4 pick Pavel Brendl and a third-rounder. Lindros arrived with some fanfare, except the world changed in an instant on his first day as a Ranger.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred on the opening day of training camp. Lindros was staying with Messier; the newest Ranger star took a car down from the upper west side of Manhattan to the ABC studio, where he was supposed to be on “Regis and Kelly.” A tearful Kelly Ripa greeted them in the lobby as the attacks unfolded in New York and Washington.
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“It was just a crazy time to be there,” Lindros said. “It was just awful. And then, the feeling of the city pulling together, it was inspiring, honestly. I remember (former Rangers VP of communications) John Rosasco talking to us, saying the people in the city need something get behind, to feel good about, and let’s make the Rangers a part of that. It was taken to heart.”
Lindros had a strong first half of that 2001-02 season before a concussion derailed him just after Christmas. The Rangers went from the top of the standings to out of the playoff picture in a matter of weeks, the fourth of seven consecutive seasons without a playoff game. Knee and head injuries kept Lindros from accomplishing what he hoped in three years with the Rangers.
Kane arrives with what’s been reported as a nagging hip injury that likely needs surgery after the season. The risk you take in acquiring a late-career star is that they might simply be too worn down to be as effective as the Rangers would want.
“It wasn’t the same as I’d been, for sure,” he said. “I didn’t play like I used to. I didn’t react as quick.”
And the team wasn’t as together as Lindros had hoped. “Some guys were up by the practice rink (in Westchester), some guys were in the city,” he said, “and things got clique-y.”
Kane is coming to a team with a close friend in Panarin, a former Olympic teammate in GM Chris Drury and a host of young players who idolized Kane in their youth. The situation is different.
Lindros doesn’t watch much Rangers hockey anymore. But he might just tune in now.
“It’s not for everyone,” Lindros said of playing in New York. “But it’s an easy place to embrace. It’ll always be something special for me. And I’m sure it still is for the guys there now.”
(Photo: Rick Stewart / Getty Images / NHLI)
