Next Door To Gretzky

I always thought that the comparisons that people made between Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros were unfair to Lindros. That's not to say that he wasn't a great junior player where he stood as a man among boys, but we saw him look exceptional before Scott Stevens caught him in the trolley tracks. That's not to say that Lindros wasn't a good player after he got his bell rung, but I feel like any comparisons between players in somewhat different eras is unfair. What might have given Lindros more of an honest comparison would have been part of a season in the second-best league on the planet before reaching the NHL like Wayne Gretzky had. That almost happened in southern California in 1992.

As most hockey fan are aware, Eric Lindros was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1991 which immediately set off fireworks as Lindros refused to wear the Nordiques' jersey at the draft and refused to play for the team. In 1992, he opted to join the Canadian National Team which was heading to the Olympics in Albertville, France as he and his agent aimed to force a trade from Quebec to anywhere else.

Canada fell to the Unified Team in 1992 in capturing the silver medal, but Lindros showed his worth as he score five goals and 11 points in eight Olympic games while playing alongside names like Dave Tippett, Joe Juneau, Sean Burke, Kent Manderville, and Jason Woolley. The Canadians were a solid team, and the addition of the young Lindros made them more formidable as they marched toward the podium.

With the saga in Quebec over him playing for the Nordiques continuing, speculation ramped up as to where he may be traded. Quebec seemed in no hurry to make a deal with anyone as they still wanted Lindros as the centerpiece for their rebuild, but Lindros' camp held firm that he would not be wearing the fleur-de-lis. That's when a new IHL owner decided to enter the bidding war!

According to the following article from the February 28, 1992 edition of the Brandon Sun, the Associated Press reported that soon-to-be San Diego Gulls owner Fred Comrie had made an offer to Lindros to join the IHL club for the remainder of 1992 and all of 1993!

It shouldn't come as any surprise that Comrie couldn't offer NHL money for Lindros to play with the Gulls, but he would have been joining a Gulls team that was on the upswing. In 1992, the Gulls finished with a 45-28-9 record before absolutely crushing the IHL in 1992-93 with a 62-12-8 record. Led by Dmitri Kvartalnov, Ray Whitney, and Ron Duguay, the addition of Lindros would have been interesting to see considering how offensively-minded the IHL was.

Of course, we know Lindros never signed in 1992 to finish the season in San Diego, and he never actually played in any professional league other than the NHL as he avoided the minor leagues throughout his career. The Nordiques would end up trading Lindros to both the Flyers and Rangers at the 1992 NHL Entry Draft only for the NHL to rule that the trade to Philadelphia happened first, meaning that Lindros was a Flyers' forward. From there, it was all on Eric Lindros to make the most of his career. 372 goals and 865 points later, I'd say he did well.

I still wonder how Lindros would have looked with the Gulls in 1992 with Kvartalnov leading the IHL with 60 goals and 118 points, Len Hachborn leading the IHL with 73 assists and third in scoring with 107 points, and Ray Whitney scoring 36 goals and 90 points. Adding a player of Lindros' size and skill would have made the Gulls even better, and they may have even rivaled the Los Angeles Kings' popularity in California following the 1988 Wayne Gretzky trade.

Sometimes, I wish I could see an alternate reality where Eric Lindros joined the IHL's San Diego Gulls or Quebec Nordiques just to see how things played out. Until that's a superpower I possess, I'll just have to ask "what if" and wonder if the Gulls could have been bigger.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!