ORHawksFan
Registered User
I was looking at the hfboards top 100 list and was intrigued at Eric Lindros (96) two spots ahead of Martin St. Louis (98). Obviously they were very different players, Lindros being a dominant, physical yet skilled center and St. Louis who was a skilled, clean winger who won multiple Byngs. They each won a Hart while St. Louis also won two Art Ross trophies. They were also both very good playoff performers.
I can see the argument for Lindros as the better player in that when healthy he was a dominant force. However, after too many concussions he became more of a perimeter player, particularly after he left Philly. Throughout his career he struggled with injuries.
St. Louis on the other hand stayed healthy pretty much all his career, impressively winning his second Art Ross at age 37.
I guess I just can’t get over how often Lindros was injured, and how short his peak was, St. Louis had 9 seasons with at least 80 games and consistently put up high point totals into his late 30s. Lindros hit 80 games once, later in his career when he was no longer dominant and nowhere near PPG.
Longevity vs. Peak are fun arguments to have and I agree that some players who had short careers but with high peaks should be ranked higher than others who were more compiler types - but in this case I have a hard time ranking St. Louis below Lindros. What do you all think?
I can see the argument for Lindros as the better player in that when healthy he was a dominant force. However, after too many concussions he became more of a perimeter player, particularly after he left Philly. Throughout his career he struggled with injuries.
St. Louis on the other hand stayed healthy pretty much all his career, impressively winning his second Art Ross at age 37.
I guess I just can’t get over how often Lindros was injured, and how short his peak was, St. Louis had 9 seasons with at least 80 games and consistently put up high point totals into his late 30s. Lindros hit 80 games once, later in his career when he was no longer dominant and nowhere near PPG.
Longevity vs. Peak are fun arguments to have and I agree that some players who had short careers but with high peaks should be ranked higher than others who were more compiler types - but in this case I have a hard time ranking St. Louis below Lindros. What do you all think?