Don Cherry on Scott Stevens Hit on Eric Lindros

[@Ken-h9r]

Lindros developed a BAD habit of skating with his head down since youth hockey. He was always the biggest and strongest on the ice no one could take him..until the NHL..

[@nothing2see315]

It’s the Paul Kariya hit that bothers me now and I was a big Stevens fan as a kid but that hit was over the line and Kariya was one the cleanest nicest players ever

[@thinkingjack]

Same, honestly that one made me sick. I hated Kariya but he was clean and so skilled and that hit was beyond late and cheap

[@dingdong7610]

Kariya came back and scored at least. Eric was never truly the same after the hit by Stevens, people forget how much of a force he was, he just doesn't milk it. Live by the sword, die by the sword. I notice Ovi doesn't hit the way he used to and good on him if he has a chance to catch 99, he can't be hitting like nuts.

[@vitalityrules3213]

Such a disgusting hit... clearly intent to injure

[@Cal99ers]

To me the Kariya and Lindros were the same

[@nothing2see315]

@@Cal99ers Atleast Lindros still had the puck on his stick but the elbow was much worse with lindros hit.

[@theliftexpert]

Good story …… I remember seeing Lindros play for the first time in person , came and played against the Niagara Falls Thunder , went coast to coast through the entire team held the last defender off with his left arm ,while the defender was mauling him and put in the top shelf one handed with his right hand. Then immediately dropped the gloves and laid a beating on the defensmen that was holding him . That’s when I new this guy was going to be a beast in the nhl .

[@carlgustav945]

Beast? That beast was tamed, neutered and sent on his way 😂😂😂

[@maxaffe3195]

its not funny@@carlgustav945

[@Snake-di9bd]

@@carlgustav945Eric completely battered stevens in their fights

[@carlgustav945]

@@Snake-di9bd How many cups did he win ? 0 Stevens 3 cups and a conne smythe.

[@Snake-di9bd]

@@carlgustav945 Eric, olympic gold, hart trophy

[@wanderer34]

That hit was the beginning of the end of Flyers hockey for me. After that hit, we never had a marquee player with the same pedigree as Lindros again!

[@v4v819]

Keith Primeau wasn't a marquee player in his Flyer's era...

[@dylanmorton1208]

@@v4v819I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not, but no….. no he wasn’t. Life long flyers fan here

[@v4v819]

@@dylanmorton1208 You sure about that, boo...

[@07foxmulder]

To be fair, plenty of teams never saw a player like Lindros. He was rare.

[@othaVada]

I remember a story from the '02 Olympics from Michael Peca. Peca says there was a scrimmage where Lindros was screaming down the wing, head down, carrying the puck. Automatically, Peca had Lindros lined up for a big open ice hit & held up right away to let Lindros pass. Peca said to a teammate that if Lindros keeps doing stuff like that, he's going to get taken out by someone.

[@Cal99ers]

I guess when you are successful for a long time your cockiness blocks out the dangers of what you are doing. Peca was a true gentle man like the past greats The Pocket Rocket and Keon

[@lk5388]

Eric pre concussion was a pretty arrogant know-it-all. Peca is not the first to bring that up and he is not the last. In that era, players typically tend to shoot it into the zone and force a turnover. Eric believed his size was unstoppable and Darius Kasparitis show him otherwise. Even post concussion Lindros didn't learn, he was caught bringing the puck across the blue line with his head down.

[@BrushworkNL]

@@lk5388 Yeah that kasparitis hit really fucked him up, that was the real deal

[@CantdoitWontdoit]

Lindros being the biggest of his age group and not having to worry about someone hitting him - well this is the outcome. I was never a professional hockey player however I always was taught and had enough brains to not keep my head down while carrying the puck and always be aware of the players your on the ice with. #4 wasn’t a rookie ….

[@davidblankenship2720]

Steven's Trucking

[@abouttime5000]

Most of Stevens' hits were on players not carrying the puck. It was cheap and dangerous.

[@MrDeceptacon88]

What goes around comes around.. Eric thought he could destroy anyone anytime...ummm no

[@Cal99ers]

Don't see it that way. He thought he could defend himself. I never saw him just go after someone to inspire the team the way 98% of fighters do

[@MrDeceptacon88]

@@Cal99ers u obviously didnt watch him play..he tried to destroy anyone with the puck lmfao

[@Cal99ers]

@@MrDeceptacon88 Sorry, I took it you were talking about fighting. He was tough and I was pointing out I never saw him act like a goon. He could destroy anyone any time. He hit people just like any other player who regularly threw body checks but he was built top heavy so his hits hurt. He didn't do dirty hits like Stevens did. Steven's revenge hit to end Lindros's career was motivated by NJ players fears of touching the puck when they knew Lindros was coming towards them. By the way have you ever seen a video of Stevens saying he regretted and was sorry he threw that hit?

[@MrDeceptacon88]

@@Cal99ers no he shouldnt say sorry...suck it up or dont play snowflakes

[@republica7337]

​@@Cal99ersI remember a playoff? game between Rangers and Flyers. Messier and Lindros in the corner, Lindros grabbed him and threw him down like a ragged doll. Eric was tough.

[@erics8033]

Grapes knows his stuff about the inside game of hockey. He's a pretty old man now in 2024 but I'd like to see him show up on the TNT studio board a few times if he's up for it.

[@SolarWarden88]

I'll never forget watching that game on TV in my basement as a teen. I was crushed, like my poor idol Eric. He got Stevens back in NY along the boards in NJ's end his first game against Stevens in 2001 in MSG. Eric gave many a hit, and knew he had a target on his back because of his status in the game. He knew the dangers.

[@kpk33x]

Looking back obviously Lindros playing as a man among boys developed the bad habit of keeping his head down. But he was getting protected once in the NHL. In Nov. 1995 Marty McSorley picked a fight with him and as usual tires out his opponent. Marty starts pounding Lindros and the officials immediately jump in to stop it. Why? They didn't jump in with McSorley-Langdon, McSorley-Probert, or any fights that went over the 1 minute mark when both guys were on their feet in the mid 90s. Just this one. McSorley was disgusted with it. Certainly Lindros was going to go down, but 2 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than McSorley, why was he being protected? I asked that question then and I guess it became apparent a few years later.

[@lenhudson8194]

For that time period, that was a "he should have kept his head up" hit.

[@TTTT-wx4xb]

You don't aim or hit the head!

[@lenhudson8194]

@@TTTT-wx4xb you clearly did not watch hockey back then.

[@TTTT-wx4xb]

@Len Hudson ok Lenny, you're right. You can hit the head back then lol.

[@lenhudson8194]

@@TTTT-wx4xb you could. It happened all of the time. Stevens alone did a bunch of them. Remember Lindros? Why was no penalty called? Everyone saw it. Because it was a legal hit.

[@carlgustav945]

​@@TTTT-wx4xbYou're right BUT when you play with your head down instead of up and get hit, it's gonna look like the head was targeted when in reality it was not. Lindros put himself in that position. Lindros even admitted clean hit. If he had not deeked left, right, left, right he would have been hit square in the chest and not concussed.

[@anthonymalecki6615]

Lindros was leaning so far forward with his head there was no way to avoid making contact with it.

[@crazyralph6386]

A lot of the time Neidermeyer would bait players into crossing into Stevens, which is exactly what happened with Lindros.

[@republica7337]

They probably practiced that. I just despised that head hunter.

[@bw6078]

Playoffs then were hockey wars. Like Brad May puts it....most players would fight their mother to win the cup. Another epic Grapes story and clip.

[@sports2hedz542]

Man Grape's got a memory like a steel trap!

[@smorgdonkey]

Don said "are you crazy? Scott Stevens is out there. He's an animal!"

[@smorgdonkey]

Loosely quoted of course... but I recall watching the game and Don warning of that. I was working in a cardboard factory out in Calgary and someone said 'Linda's will come back and he'll be the reason that Philly wins the Cup'. I said 'No way'. He comes back and Steven's hits him. All over.

[@tv1canada]

I feel sorry for Eric , good guy outside the ring . Met him at the parking lot when he became Leaf , talk to my son , signed his hat . Gave us lots of his time . Great player , similar thing happened to my son early in AAA , it didn't show at first but in Junior hockey caught up to him . Too many " leagal" hits to the head .

[@toddmurphy3245]

I don’t feel sorry for him. He tried to end players careers with cheapshots (stick to the eye, poking eyes). Glad he never touched the cup👏🏻

[@rebeltvr6046]

Good guy? Didn't he pipe Brind'amour's wife? Brind'amour knocked him out in the Flyers dressing room for that, then both got traded.

[@burtmann3921]

Well had they let the players police themselves like the old days this might happen once and then there would be pay back But the instigator rule changed everything and then the stickwork and head shot became the norm. Ended a few super stars career early. Really sad.

[@chrisdranfield3828]

That story with his wife says it all. Stevens is a shit player that went out there to injure players not to play hockey. His goal was not to hit a guy to get the puck back by to wait for the guy to not be looking so he could injure them.

[@richalbee6360]

Exactly, he looked to hit defenseless players and hurt them. He did it all the time. I’m just surprised no one took him out for his bs.

[@justinthomas85]

You sound extremely salty, and clearly completely unaware of Steven's impact as a leader and a defenseman. Shit players down LEAD a team to 4 Stanley Cup finals and come away with 3 wins. That team was his, no one credits Marty bc of the defense around him. Now there's you saying Steven's was shit. He was a luck down defenseman who legally destroyed players. I couldn't be happier that the game has moved on and player safety has taken a bigger role. But, at the time, his hits were legal and he was feared, he did his job better than most in his Era.

[@sylvainlaurence1554]

RAT

[@rockinyouallnight]

$50 says Georges Laraque could still K.O. Stevens in a real fight (without pads) in under 90 seconds.

[@ilivewithinmymeans5412]

Who cares? Stevens was an elite hall of fame defenseman who just happened to also be the hardest hitter of all time. Laraque was just a fourth line goon.

[@EricNeely-el2ji]

HOF player to a goon loser, easy liberal

[@kenclarke5966]

Yes different skill set, different roles, like a hard hitting safety and a defensive linemen

[@bufford5483]

The Leafs could use a defenseman of Scott Stevens ilk.

[@VariousIdeas-f2q]

While some people come to see fights and hits, the amazing skills of guys like Lindros or Crosby make the game. Fans pay to see a Gretzky. Not average players hitting cheap shots. So it made sense to eventually protect skilled players from being crushed. It makes zero business sense to have a premiere player taken out for 40 games with a concussion, and some mid-level player gets a game suspension.

[@kendrickmaeldun]

If you’re implying Stevens was a mid level player his HOF induction would say otherwise.

[@VariousIdeas-f2q]

@@kendrickmaeldun that was your takeaway? Okay.

[@samthompson7821]

cherry was always right he should of just stayed home for a season instead of immediately rushing into games after he would get crushed over and over again

[@Outta-hz1ej]

Holy shit, that's a spooky story.

[@RayFinkle05]

Scott Stevens was the best shutdown defenseman of that era. I don’t give a turkey what you say.

[@EricNeely-el2ji]

can't believe these soft liberals, calling top 3 best ever defenseman a cheap shot . tell them to stick to soccer and basketball.

[@jimcullen2224]

The correct response from the Flyers should have been for Craig Berube to elbow Patrik Elias in the face as a payback.... of course it never happened... : (

[@TGGent92]

Scott Steven’s is a masterful hitter. He learned to hit people at the right place at the right time. Catch players when they aren’t paying attention. When players aren’t expecting the hit all seems right on the ice. He also never elbowed players or clothes lined them with his arm. Those type of hits often got penalized. it was always with his shoulders or torso which are cleaner hits and often times looks like two players colliding.He had a menacing presence on the ice, a scary looking guy from every angle and moment on the ice. Whether it was the playoff goatee or a seasonal clean shave you couldn’t get past his beatey eyes or his tense scowl. If his wife couldn’t bare to watch him up close during the game, that fact alone proves how good he was at being a menace on the Ice.

[@davemashinter5218]

Stevens,cheap shot artist of all time,hall of shame is where he should be.

[@i_am_macgyver84]

​@davemashinter5218 you are delusional. Even after all the more strict rules that have been put in place over the years. Trouba throws hits and elbows that would have been suspension worthy during Steven's era, and he still doesn't get called.

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

Cherry - aside his shtick and controversy - is actually a very astute hockey observer and commentator

[@MrVictoria69]

That's the way she goes!

[@daleparker4207]

Steven's was a beast.

[@brianpaulison9745]

sorry but Stevens is the best Lindros always had a coming. Some bullies need to be put in their place.

[@PatA-10]

Stop crybaby

[@DahnoDookoh]

Lindros was a way better player.

[@frankthetank819]

Wait what? You’re calling lindros a cry baby are you joking lindros was one of the toughest players to ever play the game we was not a crybaby at all not even close Scott Steven’s was a disgusting player dirty player he was known for those blue line hits that’s terrible and then when lindros wanted to fight Steven’s , Steven’s was scared he was a wannabe tough guy hate players like that

[@EarlMcManus2005]

Lindros wasn't a bully. He just wasn't used to keeping his head up. He could get away with in the OHL but in the NHL you had assasins like Stevens looking to plant you.

[@frankthetank819]

@@EarlMcManus2005 never said lindros was a bully 😂 like can you see what I wrote my goodness

[@Devlins10]

Lindros was a machine. Was a dirty hit i think from Stevens. Lindros would dominate even more in today's soft league.

[@jameshames4743]

Stevens, I hope you have it back now later in your life, such a nasty hit to a player in a vulnerable position, nothing good about that hit, or the one on Karyia

[@feartheconspiracy7332]

top notch

[@ilivewithinmymeans5412]

Love how Flyers fans whine about the hit on cheap shot artist Lindros, while their ‘Broad Street Bullies’ were the dirtiest team of all time.

[@BrockLanders]

Come on. Stop whining.

[@ilivewithinmymeans5412]

@@BrockLandersFlyers fans were whining while the Devils kept winning.

[@phantomstratocaster]

it wasn't a hockey play it was a intent to injure

[@rick43pen]

they still do. Getting though the playoffs is when it really ramps up and becomes a war of attrition.

[@phantomstratocaster]

@@rick43pen few defensemen have played the game with less disregard for another players career Stevens is a low intelligence human

[@MrDeceptacon88]

@@phantomstratocaster go play badminton

[@phantomstratocaster]

@@MrDeceptacon88 GFY

[@MrDeceptacon88]

@@phantomstratocaster are u the one that cried to cbc about cherrys comment? Lmfao

[@lessthanthreemetal]

😊

[@craigdinney5933]

Great player. But Stevens only crushed guys with dirty dirty late hits.

[@ilivewithinmymeans5412]

They were legal hits. Stop crying.

[@jfayiii]

@@ilivewithinmymeans5412 It will be his everlasting legacy. Nobody liked Ty Cobb either and nobody cares for him now. Forever an asshole. Enjoy Stevens' greatness, the Lord of 5 North Jersey counties (full of really swell people), considered a piece of shit everywhere else. Enjoy.

[@kimcokevin]

Stevens was a head hunter.

[@Scott4]

qqqq

[@lordfogg9728]

Lindros was overrated, waters down the fame

[@craigborth8047]

Overrated? Dude was on pace to be a top ten player ever AND the most well rounded ever. Ur a casual

[@lordfogg9728]

@@craigborth8047 on pace? I was on pace to have the biggest dick in the world, then reality set in.

[@craigborth8047]

@@lordfogg9728 damn lord fogg that was fucking hilarious… clown

[@lordfogg9728]

@@craigborth8047 he had 3 good years. There are good players, there are great players and then there are HOF players...

[@craigborth8047]

@@lordfogg9728 💀💀💀won a mvp and never even reached his prime. Ur just a casual fan. Just watch more hockey kiddo!

[@sz94fender]

Stevens is a coward. He would rather hit you dirty then try to square up with you

[@putler965]

Stevens' hit on Lindros was a clean hit. Lindros made similar hits on other people. He could dish it out but he couldn't take it.

[@o---rr-gh-tti9398]

Saw Lindros practice with the Leafs in Muskoka, it was near the end of his career, he was done, no way he should have played, they had him at centre ice just taking passes which he struggled with while the rest of the team did drills, Erik the poor guy had a far away look, doctors should be in jail for letting this guy play…Glad there is concussion protocol now! 🏒🏒🏒

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

Drs had no idea back then

[@trebleface7835]

A cheap shot artist like Stevens being celebrated. Shame. He can only be tough against defensless players and the bush league nhl allowed it.

[@garbageday587]

For us French Canadians Cherry is a buffoon.

[@robertharinga8860]

Lindros must be a close 2nd, right?

[@rickhatesmisleadia7101]

Stevens wife was in the nose bleeds because rumor has it her and Eric got a little to close! Which explains why he took Eric out and maybe the other players Stevens has creamed said something about that to get under his skin....lol

[@dalethompson4443]

Yeah, that never happened, but good try. FYI, the game was in Philly, you think wives of opposing players get premium tickets? Seriously, this is a really stupid comment.