Eric Lindros burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old with a ton of potential. And it was quickly potential realized for the Flyers.

From the beginning, Lindros was a fan favorite and a star in Philadelphia. But quickly Lindros and his popular No. 88 came to define the Flyers teams of the 1990s. By the middle of the 90s, Lindros was not only the face of the Flyers, but a face of the NHL too, right up there with the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan and Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic.

At the peak of his career in prime health, Lindros was as good as anyone. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his career and slowly the potential that was slipped away.

But during the heart of it, Lindros was recognizable as any, and a lot of it had to do with an iconic number that was all his own. Chances are if you see a player wearing No. 88 today, Eric Lindros had something to do with it. And the number defined not only Lindros' career, but an era of Flyers hockey.

Kevin Durso is Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.

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