NHL Winter Classic 2012: Will Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke Feud Again?

The 2012 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic is right around the corner, and the Alumni Game is finally here.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm certainly just as excited about the Alumni Game as I am about the Classic itself. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all of Philadelphia and New York's greats get together one last time for a historic event.

One thing I couldn't help but wonder is what will become of Bobby Clarke and Eric Lindros. After all, Bobby and Eric didn't exactly get along to well in the past, and it eventually led to Lindros being traded to the New York Rangers, but not before Eric was stripped of his captaincy.

There could still be some bad blood between the two, but if you ask Eric Lindros, it's pretty much all water under the bridge by now. Lindros told NHL.com Friday morning that he didn't agree to join the festivities this weekend as a way to mend fences with Clarke, but to celebrate the sport of hockey. 

"This week is about a celebration of hockey," Lindros said. "This is about getting back to grass roots, playing outside, playing in front of fans of both the Rangers and Flyers. That's the biggest thing."

So, were the two not speaking? Bobby Clarke says everything is just fine. 

"Sure, we talked," Clarke told ESPN.com via cell phone Friday evening. "It was fine. I asked him how his brother was doing. He asked me about my family. We’re fine. There’s really no animosity."

It seems as though years apart have done good for the two, but I can't help feeling like there's always going to be some animosity there. You don't exactly strip a man of his captaincy at the height of his career and then trade him to what could be one of the biggest rivals the Flyers have ever had.

Nevertheless, the two will take the ice at the Alumni Game as teammates, and hockey legends. It will certainly be a bit more important to Eric and Bobby than just playing "another game." Eric and Bobby may finally be able to put the nail in the coffin with this game and mend any broken fences that still may linger.

Maybe if we're really lucky, Eric Lindros will come out of retirement? Wishful thinking, maybe? Can you imagine him on a line with Giroux and Jagr? Yeah, wishful thinking indeed.

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