Unfortunately we sadly have to report another death in the National Hockey League.. This time, it was a legendary player of the Philadelphia Flyers.

More often than not, when a legend passes away it is front and center news. However, this one appears to have slipped through the cracks from last month. It was reported on May 4th that former Flyers player Jim “Jimmy” Johnson passed away. Johnson was one of the original Philadelphia Flyers in their inaugural season.

The Flyers picked up Johnson from the New York Rangers in the 1967 expansion draft with the 75th pick . Johnson will forever be remembered as the man who scored the very first goal by a Flyer, in an exhibition game. He recorded career-highs in points (48) and assists (30) in 1969–70, and scored his first hat-trick on December 3, 1969, against the Los Angeles Kings. His strongest offensive performance came almost one year later on November 19, 1970, when he scored another hat-trick and had an assist against the California Golden Seals.

Another original Philadelphia Flyer, Joe Watson had the following to say about Johnson:

“He was a good teammate who did everything he was asked to do,” Joe Watson, another original Flyer, said Thursday. “That’s all you can ask from a teammate. “We had quite a rivalry going between the two towns, and boy oh boy, he was a key guy to their success there,” Watson said. “I played against him when he played for Winnipeg, too.”

In other “Where Are They Now” news, whatever happened to hockey great Eric LIndros? Lindros was one of the founding members of the “Legion of Doom” of the Philadelphia Flyers. For those of you unaware, The Legion of Doom was a forward line for the Philadelphia Flyers who played together between 1995 and 1997 comprising center Eric Lindros, left winger John LeClair and right winger Mikael Renberg. They were given this name not only for their offensive play, but also their ability to dominate games physically; each of the three were six foot two or taller and weighed over 230 pounds. The name was coined by journeyman Flyers center Jim Montgomery and popularized by Flyers announcer Gene Hart.

So what is LIndros up to these days? He would play in 49 regular season games collecting 26 points, and three games in the 2007 playoffs. After the playoffs, Lindros officially announced his retirement on November 8, 2007, in London at the age of 34. In June 2016, Lindros was announced as one of four appointees to the 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class, joined by the late Pat Quinn, goaltender Rogie Vachon and Russian winger Sergei Makarov. On January 14, 2017, Lindros reunited with his former “Legion of Doom” linemates John LeClair and Mikael Renberg to play in the 50th Anniversary Alumni game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers

In a 2017 interview on French Canadian television, he opened up about his time being drafted by the Nordiques. He later stated that he had no problem with Quebec City or the people, stating that his wife is French Canadian. He stated that the real reason was he did not respect Marcel Aubut and criticized on how he would never play for him. At the end of the interview, he was given the Nordiques igloo and fleur-de-lys jersey at last, 26 years after the saga began. On January 18, 2018, the Flyers retired Lindros’ no. 88 jersey in a pre-game ceremony at the Wells Fargo Center.

In 2012 Lindros married Kina Lamarche, a native Quebecer and former president of the North American wing of Travelex.[ They have three children: Carl Pierre, and twins Sophie and Ryan. Lindros and his family currently reside in Toronto. They are close friends with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, with both families owning a cottage on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Ontario.

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