> On Sun, 26 Jul 1998, Kepler wrote:
> > True enough, though Lindros --though the poster child for the trend -- is
> > still an exceptional talent.  As long as the game remains primarily clutch
> > and grab, for all the usual Missing the Point (tm) reasons, you'll still see
> > the GM's go for the big guys.  Under the current style it makes some sense,
> > however much we'd like to see the current style go away.
>
> My main gripe about Lindros (besides his goon-style of play) is the hype
> that surrounds him.  People compare him to Gretzky, and that's absurd.
> "The Great One" is the greatest player to play in the NHL, period.
> Lindros has a LONG way to go to match Gretzky, let alone qualify for the
> Hall of Fame.
 
Don't blame Lindros for being over-hyped - blame the people over-hyping him. If
people say he's going to be the greatest ever, and then he is MERELY an
MVP-award winner who led his team to the finals - then that is not his fault. He
never said he'd be the greatest ever.
 
 
> As for the bigger=better mentality, I think that the Red
> Wings have done a good job of proving this wrong the last couple of years.
 
These are the same Red Wings that lost to the "bigger=better" Devils a few years
ago in 4 straight games. Though that is very simplistic because the Devils were
much more than that, the point is, every system works if you have the right
players and they execute it.
 
I would love to see people like Martin St. Louis get a better crack at the
NHL -- but I also wanted to see John LeClair get that chance too, and he's done
just fine, thank you very much.  Either method will work if the skill of the
players lends itself to that method.  You are correct that the NHL GM's have
gotten carried away with the size issue -- but that doesn't mean that a big team
can't win or hasn't already.
 
Don't blame the Flyers' failures on that philosophy. Blame it on Bobby Clark
making bad trades and not being able to find a goalie for 5 years.
 
AW
 
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