Will Clarke and Lindros Both Play in Winter Classic Alumni Game?

Justin Johnson of The Hockey Guys published an excellent interview with Eric Lindros yesterday that touched on, of all topics, the Winter Classic alumni game scheduled for December 31. In particular, Lindros had this to say:

“I talked with [Flyers GM] Paul Holmgren about a month or five weeks back and we chatted about it. That’d be great if I could see Mikael Renberg again, and Johnny LeClair.”

Lindros is referring to his linemates on the “Legion of Doom” line from the ‘90s. Lindros is currently working for a software company in Ontario while Leclair operates a shipping company with former Flyer Chris Therien.  Renberg is a hockey analyst for Swedish Television.

The possible return of the Legion of Doom is almost as exciting for many Flyers fans as the Winter Classic itself.  As fans debate which players they would like to see don the orange and black one more time, the infamous LCB line from the 1970’s, consisting of Reggie Leach, Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, is often high on the list.

Leach is currently the head coach of the Manitoulin Islanders of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.  Both Barber and Clarke still work for the Flyers as a scouting consultant and Senior Vice President, respectively.

The interesting question, then, is has enough time passed for Lindros and Clarke to finally bury the hatchet?

Clarke returned to Philadelphia as the new general manager in 1994, long after former GM Russ Farwell completed the blockbuster trade that brought Lindros to town from Quebec.  The two got along well at the beginning of their relationship, but it turned sour during contract negotiations in 1998.

Chuck Gormley documented the fued in his book, “Orange, Black & Blue: The Greatest Philadelphia Flyers Stories Never Told,” explaining that the origin of their issues was Lindros’ request for a no-trade-clause in his new contract. The collective bargaining agreement at the time explicitly stated that players could not request an NTC until they were 31, but Lindros was adamant that he wanted to spend his career in Philadelphia. Although he could hide behind the rules at the time, Clarke later admitted he was secretly shopping Lindros at the time.

The two further grew apart in 2000 when Lindros blamed the Flyers’ medical staff for not properly diagnosing his concussions (shocking) and Clarke criticized Lindros’ father for inserting himself into the management of the team.

Lindros ended up sitting out a year before finally being traded to the New York Rangers on August 20, 2001.

It’s been over ten years since the trade, and both Clarke and Lindros have seemed to mellow out enough that both could participate in the alumni game without any hard feelings.

Or Lindros could play for the Rangers as a final “$%#% you” to Clarke.  Either way, there’s a good chance Lindros could return to Philadelphia this winter for one more game.

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