BRETT LINDROS
(by BILL BARNWELL)
There are very few fates that history can bestow upon a person worse than to be someone successful's brother. Beyond the inherently implied inferiority that the term assigns its unfortunate recipient, it's probably true that there is no worse relationship to share with someone famous than to be their brother. Other familial relations offer at least some ancillary benefits -- the parent can take credit for nurturing and supporting, the husband or wife can claim emotional closeness, while the child retains the attractive vulnerability and sympathies of growing up successful and rich. Being the brother implies that the brother, too, could have been just as famous and talented, but had some flaw or lack of grit that kept them from achieving the same heights. Even relative positions that would seemingly be worse off offer significantly more substantial benefits and possibilities. Let's compare the brother to, say, the mistress. On one hand, the brother is a more stable relationship. It's very difficult to stop being a successful person's brother once you start; on the other hand, the mistress can be replaced on a whim. But that is the only advantage the brother enjoys. The mistress need not deal with the disappointments and downward cycle of success, only the part she enjoys. The mistress also sees the relationship as a jump in social status and a positive move relative to her own position, while the brother will only notice his failures relative to their kin. Furthermore, her contact with the successful person is undoubtedly more enjoyable. And finally, once the relationship is over, all ties are severed, leaving an excellent story, generally positive and intimate memories, and all kinds of potential for book deals and gossip. You can also be many successful people's mistress. You can only be, at most, a few successful people's brother.
The tragedy of being his brother can be felt most intensely in three arenas - politics (yes you, Roger Clinton), entertainment (you too, Frank Stallone), and sports. We could do a theme month full of FPotMs on famous awful brothers, but that would probably result in the long-overdue committing of ultra mega mass homicide upon the three of us that realistically would probably be considered as justifiable in most courts of law. So, naturally, I chose to remind you all of the career of an athlete who will probably read this and begin to chase after me, but be unable to reach me. He will get the dizzies on the way. His name is Brett Lindros.
Islanders GM Don Maloney referred to Brett as "the better Lindros" after he drafted him 9th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Now, I cannot say that Don Maloney was wrong in making that statement, for I am not aware of the context in which it was said. Maybe he was speaking about growing day-old stubble, the traditional hockey beard. Eric is good, I'm sure, but as you can see in the photo, Brett's is impeccable and may very well may be the best facet of his game. Or, he could be speaking about getting concussed. Then again - that is still up for debate.
I can't really figure out why Brett Lindros was drafted so high. He played two years in the OHL (junior hockey) and had decent numbers in limited playing time; when he wasn't playing in Kitchener, he was a bit part on the Canadian National Team. He had a great year in Kitchener the year after he was drafted, but that is too late for the purposes of justification on Maloney's part. In addition, his really good year was when he was old for the level and was again in a very small sample of playing time. But I know that none of this went into the equation. Because, realistically, I know why Brett Lindros was drafted ninth overall. Because he was 6'4" and weighed 215 pounds and he was Eric Lindros' brother. Well, he is still 6'4", probably weighs even more, and he is still Eric Lindros' brother. But he's not so good at hockey.
Of course, Brett Lindros' career in the NHL never really got off the ground, as he was felled by a series of concussions, much like his brother. Unlike Eric, though, Brett's concussion-proneness is absolutely shocking - he picked up four in six months, which seems almost impossible for a professional hockey player to get. I'm inclined to think there was some sort of master flaw in Brett's makeup that caused him to fail so greatly; maybe he kept his head down at the wrong point consistently, maybe there was something wrong with the form of his checks, maybe he went looking for trouble and got some rough hits. Regardless, he simply was not cut out for NHL hockey. The stuff he was pulling probably worked in junior - where he was 6'4", 215, and playing against mostly seventeen and eighteen year olds, but it simply did not fly in the NHL. He played 51 games over two seasons, scored 2 goals, and had to retire.
The difference between Eric Lindros and Brett Lindros? Eric Lindros has been kept from being one of the five best players in NHL history by concussions. Brett Lindros was just prevented from revealing himself to be a first round bust.