| | Associated Press
VOORHEES, N.J. -- Last spring, the Philadelphia Flyers knew
they were going to be without franchise player Eric Lindros for an
undetermined period.
Lindros did return for a pair of games at the end of the Flyers'
playoff run, then suffered his sixth concussion, putting his career
in greater jeopardy.
With the Flyers' 2000-2001 training camp about to open Sunday, the Flyers know they're probably going to be without Lindros for good.
Lindros is home in Toronto, probably sidelined until at least
midseason. If or when he is healthy enough to play, it probably
will be for another NHL team.
The Flyers say they've moved on. After making a surprise run to
the Eastern Conference finals last year without Lindros, the team
is set to regroup and see if it can repeat that same sort of team
spirit for an entire season.
"I think it was accepted last year," John LeClair said. "I
think everybody's feeling was they knew what was eventually going
to happen this year. It's not like a shock that we're coming to
camp and he's not here."
General manager Bob Clarke indicated the Flyers want to get back
to hockey without distractions.
"With Eric, every little injury became bigger than what it was,
bigger than the team," he said. "But now we just want to play
hockey. We don't need any of that stuff anymore."
A nameplate for Lindros is conspicuously missing from the locker
room at the Flyers' new Skate Zone practice facility.
"It's really been a closed chapter as far as the guys in the
locker room are concerned," Keith Primeau said. "It hasn't been a
topic of discussion."
LeClair and Lindros were linemates for the better part of five
years. That era appears to be over, and LeClair isn't worried.
"I think we'll be a good club," he said. "I think that's one
thing we gained last year, we got some confidence in each other."
Is it odd not seeing No. 88 strolling through the locker room
for the first time since 1992?
"It is and it isn't," LeClair said. "We've moved to a new
building, there's a lot of new things, so it makes that transition
a lot easier. I played a lot of games last year without him so it's
not going to be that foreign to me." | |
ALSO SEE
LeClair gives Flyers deadline of Sunday for contract talks
Training Camp capsule: Philadelphia Flyers
|
