On June 29 in Rangers history: The Eric Lindros circus

What happened on June 29 in the history of the New York Rangers

A decision was made on this date that would have a huge impact on three NHL teams, including the New York Rangers.   While not revealed until June 30, this was the final day of an agonizing process that had begun a year earlier at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft when the Quebec Nordiques made Eric Lindros the first overall pick.

Lindros was the best junior hockey player in Canada. Playing for the Oshawa Generals in 1990-91 he scored 71 goals and 149 points in 57 games, winning the OHL MVP Award and was named the CHL Player of the Year.  There was no doubt he would go first overall, but before the draft he made it clear he wouldn’t play for Quebec due to questions about team ownership.

After he was drafted he played another year in Oshawa and for Canada at the Olympics and when it was apparent he would never sign with Quebec, they decided to trade him. That’s where it gets interesting.

Believe it or not, the Nordiques traded him to two teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Rangers.  Here are the two deals:

• Flyers trade:  Goalie Ron Hextall, defensemen Steve Duschene and Kerry Huffman,  centers Mike Ricci and Peter Forsberg, first round picks in 1992 and 1993 along with $15 million.
• Rangers trade:  Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, wingers Tony Amonte and Alex Kovalev, center Doug Weight  and first round picks in 1993, 1994 and 1996 along with $12 million.

The Flyers believed that they had made their deal first and took the case to arbitration and arbitrator Larry Bertuzzi ruled in their favor, saying that they had closed the deal 80 minutes before the Rangers.

Now, we can look back and say that the Flyers actually lost that trade.  Although Lindros was a dominant player for them for eight seasons he was hampered by numerous injuries and concussions and they never won the Stanley Cup.

The Nordiques moved to Colorado in 1995-96 and won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Denver.  Peter Forsberg was the jewel in the crown of that deal, though Quebec flipped the players they got from Philadelphia for Adam Deadmarsh, Sylvain Lefebvre and Claude Lemieux, all key players on that Cup winning team.

Although Ranger fans bemoaned their fate when the decision was announced, it forced the team to make other moves in an attempt to build a winner. Four months later, the Rangers went out and traded for Mark Messier and later used Weight and Amonte to trade for Esa Tikkanen, Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. Alex Kovalev became a star for the Blueshirts and we all know about what happened in 1994.

Of course, Lindros did become a Ranger in 2001 though his career in New York was cut short by another concussion and the Blueshirts missed the playoffs in his three years as a Ranger.

Thank you Larry Bertuzzi who spent June 29, 1992 poring over the details of this crazy transaction and ultimately made the decision that led to a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

Today’s birthdays

20 NHL players have been born on June 29.  Two former Rangers are in that group along with a 2020 draft pick who hopes to make it in New York.

Matthew Rempe was born on this date in 2002 in Calgary, Alberta.  He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL.  This season was a lost one due to the pandemic, but he is expected to be back in Seattle in the fall.  The center is a huge prospect, at 6’8″ and 240 pounds.

Theoren Fleury was born on this date in 1968 in Oxbow, Saskatchewan.  Know as Theo, he was an eighth round draft pick by the Calgary Flames, a late pick due to his size, 5’6″ and 182 pounds. He was an immediate hit in Calgary, scoring 364 goals and 830 points in 791 games and  was a member of the 1989 Stanley Cup championships team. A pending free agent in 1999, the right winger was traded to Colorado and signed over that summer with the Rangers.  He had a tumultuous time in New York, having difficulty with the big city lifestyle and entering the NHL’s substance abuse program twice. The lowpoints were a fight with the San Jose Sharks mascot and an incident when he left the arena after taking a penalty.  After he retired from hockey, Fleury revealed that he had been abused by his juniors coach, a factor that contributed to his substance abuse issues.  Fleury was still a productive player in his three years in New York, almost a point a game player and scoring 30 goals in his best season.

Brian Lawton was born on this date in 1965 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  While most current hockey fans know him as an analyst for the NHL Network, he is most famous for being the first U.S. born player to be selected first overall in the Entry Draft.   Lawton was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1983, but never lived up to the hype, scoring 21 goals in his best season. When he was 23 after five seasons in Minnesota, he was traded to the Rangers. The left winger played only 30 games for the Rangers, scoring seven goals, before they flipped him to the Hartford Whalers in December 1988 in a trade for Carey Wilson.  He became a hockey nomad, playing for eight different NHL and minor league teams in five years, finally retiring in 1993 at age 27.