This week I had the privilege of interviewing former NHL player, Brett Lindros.
Lindros, born and raised in London, Ontario played junior hockey for the Kingston Frontenacs before being drafted 9th overall by the New York Islanders in 1994. He is the younger brother of former NHL star, Eric Lindros. Brett played for the Islanders for two seasons before his career was tragically cut short due to concussions. He now has a very successful career in the investment industry.
Josh Wahler: What was your proudest moment as a player?
Brett Lindros: I’m actually going to combo this answer with your second question (What was it like getting to play against your brother in the NHL?) – my proudest moment as a player was when we played the Flyers for the first time – don’t get me wrong scoring a goal in the NHL is pretty amazing moment as is playing your first game – but for me when I was on the ice against my brother who was the best player in the league at the time – made me feel like I had reached a milestone as an athlete.
JW: Do you still keep in touch with any past teammates?
BL: Not that much with my NHL teammates – I only played 50-60 games and was done close to 20 years ago – I see more guys from my junior days – actually spent last weekend with a couple guys from the OHL’s Belleville Bulls.
JW: Is there any particular game you played in that stands out to you the most?
BL: I had the opportunity to play for the Canadian National team and we played in front of my home crowd in Kingston on New Years Eve against a Russian touring team – loved having the Canadian Maple Leaf on my jersey and had a great outing scoring a goal and laying some huge checks out which was always one of my favourite things to do on the ice.
JW: Who’s the toughest player you ever fought?
BL: Would probably have to be Joey Kocur – Joey had a reputation for literally breaking guys faces he punched so hard. He was closer to the tail end of his career when he was with the Rangers and I was probably 20 or 21 years old – was pretty scary to square off with him at Madison Square Gardens.
JW: As a highly touted prospect yourself coming out of junior hockey, what advice would you give the current generation of NHL prospects?
BL: Outside of the standard “make sure you have your education cause you never know when it’s gonna end” type of stuff but for me on a personal level I was in such a rush to get to the NHL – nothing wrong with an extra season in Jr or the Minors to work on your game and get your confidence and playing ability to a higher level before you get out there with the big boys – this will also let your body mature a little more before you are playing with grown men which will help with longevity which is the key to any good career regardless of profession.
– Josh
Scoring goals and laying some huge checks reading that made me nostalgic haha. It was a good point about education, definitely important as thing will end eventually.
Hi Josh, I am impressed that you managed to get such a high profile athlete to interview – well done! I also think that as ever, the advice around getting your education rings true here. While Brett Lindros may have had a very successful career, for many athletes this is not the case and no one can ever take your education away from you!
A very short and sweet interview with an Ontario hockey iconic who has quite a few wins under his belt! I’m wondering how you initiated the interview with Brett.
Whoa, how did you manage to interview Brett Lindros?? That’s awesome! The interview was a very interesting read and it was cool to hear aboutsome of the stuff that went on behind the scenes. Great work Josh!
I agree, I really liked his point about education. I think when a lot of players are young and on the road to a career as a pro sports player they neglect their education and don’t realize that you never know what might happen and it’s still important thing to invest your time in.
Very true! You can only be an athlete for so long, but your education is something you get a lifetime of benefit from.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for reading, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Great post, Josh! It’s commendable that you got in touch with one of the former NHL heroes. Personally, I am still learning a lot about the game as I am new to the county and this sport in particular, but every sportsman has an inspiring story that makes you want to go out and win it all! Thanks for sharing!