At the risk of turning my recent sounding-board into a love-in for Eric Lindros, it seems he had a blockbuster parting shot for his critics on Thursday.
On what was a pensive day as Lindros announced his retirement in his hometown of London, Ont., he upstaged his own farewell by dipping in to his own pocket and dropping every jaw in the room with a $5 million donation to the London Health Sciences Foundation.
Classless, selfish jerk, that Lindros, isn't he?
Maybe once and for all, those personal vendettas will cease. Maybe, as unlikely as it is, Lindros finally gained that respect so elusive through his career, ironically, as he bid adieu.
If nothing else, he sure as hell shut a lot of people up.
I've always been a casual supporter of Lindros, but he earned my eternal admiration on his way out the door. Hockey players always seem to be giving back to their communities, but no one was expecting this.
No one could have been.
I mean, spoiled, self-centered brats are all about themselves, aren't they?
This day should have been about paying tribute to a career that, at one point, saw Lindros as the most dominant player in the game. In should have been about Hall of Fame debates and what might have been.
Lindros made sure it was about something else. Something that will change lives.
So, next time you are sitting over a beer with your buddies having a laugh at Lindros' expense, think of that hospital in London that benefitted from the largest one-time donation by an athlete in Canadian history.
Lindros said goodbye with nothing but class.
And as he galloped off into the twilight of his career, guns a-blazin' as always, Eric Lindros turned around to give one final, unmistakable salute to those who tried to bring him down.