Eric "Rico" Desjardins

Birthdate: 14 June 1969
Birthplace: Rouyn, Quebec
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 198 lbs.
Sweater number: 37
Position: Defenseman
Drafted/Acquired: 1987 Entry Draft, 2nd round, 38th overall, by Montreal. Traded with John LeClair and Gilbert Dionne for Mark Recchi on 2/9/95.
Marital Status: Married to Manon with baby son (Jakob)

Career Notes

Profile

(Updated and revised on 10/24/01) For this fan it's sometimes hard to fathom the fact that Eric Desjardins is in his eighth season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Eight seasons! Has it been that long? I ask myself this question from time to time, because I can date my time as a hockey fan (and as a Flyer fan) to the time just following Desjardins and John LeClair's arrival in Philadelphia from Montreal. It really doesn't seem to have been so very long ago.

We've come to take "Rico" for granted in that span of time. He was the main attraction to the Flyers in that famously lopsided trade. We needed defense, and he had it. Rico has played with the Flyers in an era when most of his companions on the blue lines treated the puck like a hot potato. Playing with vastly less talented players (Chris Therien comes to mind), Desjardins was asked to log a huge amount of minutes, produce offensively, and cover everyone's butt defensively. He couldn't do it all, but he always gave it his best effort. Others took notice of his efforts. He won six straight Barry Ashbee Trophies for being the best Flyers defenseman.

He was asked to bear other burdens for his team as well. In March 2000, Flyers management stripped disgruntled then-Flyer Eric Lindros of his captaincy and installed Desjardins in his place. It was in many ways a thankless honor. Lindros fans turned on Rico immediately, calling him a tool of management and a fading talent. He was asked to talk to the media daily during the circus. Every Flyer fan was sick of Lindros circus before the end finally came; imagine how Desjardins had to feel, answering the same questions day in and day out.

1999-2000 may have been Desjardins finest season as a Flyer, but it was followed by a supbar campaign in 2000-2001. Hampered by injuries and apparently feeling the pressure of his new role as captain, Desjardins struggled as he played with a constant succession of borderline NHLers. For the first time in his Flyer career he finished the season with a minus in the plus/minus column of the stat page. So on October 23, 2001, citing a need to focus on his game, Desjardins officially gave up the honor and the burden of the "C." It's a move that sums up much of what Rico is to the Flyers. Now he can lead in his own way--by quiet, stoic example. And with his decision, Desjardins set the ultimate example of honesty and bravery. No one on the team was questioning him as captain; most people were taken aback by his act. But he saw a problem and he fixed it--even if it meant losing a little face in public, even if it meant giving up some prestige. Eric Desjardins may no longer wear an "A" or even a "C," but he'll always be a leader.

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