What could have been....:(


A red Porsche 930 Turbo missed a curve at 5:41 a.m. A sports star at the top of his game slammed into a concrete wall in front of an elementary school in Camden County.

The Flyers kept winning hockey games, but life was never exactly the same.


Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20101107_Remembering_Pelle_Lindbergh__25_years_on. html#ixzz14cCbx8rC


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I stopped by that spot last night and paid some respects, such a shame, so much potential. Kinda shocking this doesnt happen more often with the way young people live in this country these days, considering the players make so much more money now.


Bobrovsky has drawn a LOT of comparisons to him throught the media, and we can only hope he can live up to it. Im not gonna go that far its been a few games, but one can hope right?

If you want a good read, check out Bill Meltzer's book on Pelle. I highly recommend it.

Meltzer's book is indeed excellent, especially for those of us who didn't live through the whole Lindbergh saga. I can only imagine what could have been.

I know it is sad (in theory), but I'm finding it hard to stand behind a drunk driver who almost ended the lives of two other people.

If he had ended the life of someone's kids, specifically yours, how much sympathy would you have?

I'd be cursing him to hell.

The man's death was his own fault. He not only put his life on the line by driving drunk but endangered other people as well. Sure he was good, but he shouldn't be praised and honored. He's not Pat Tillman, he didn't die courageously.

The man's death was his own fault. He not only put his life on the line by driving drunk but endangered other people as well.....

You Sir, are a giant ******. As if you have never in your life have made a mistake? No character flaw in side you at all?

Like many of us <I said "US" as YOU oh PERFECT ONE are excluded> he made a mistake. However there was no 2nd chance for him.

I wasn't around to see him play but the story does sadden me as i've seen too many people die young, one most likely caused by the same thing Pelle's accident was. Especially sad seeing what could have been. I am 100% against drinking and driving but everypody makes mistakes, Pelle's cost him his life. I think it's disrespectful to say he doesn't deserve to be praised. I'm sure you would be singing a different tune if it was someone you knew and loved. RIP Pelle

that (now abandoned) school creeps me out a bit to this day

You Sir, are a giant ******. As if you have never in your life have made a mistake? No character flaw in side you at all?

Like many of us <I said "US" as YOU oh PERFECT ONE are excluded> he made a mistake. However there was no 2nd chance for him.

Sorry, but I lost my best friend to a drunk driver, she was walking home from my house and got hit. I know you probably don't care much to hear my life story but because of that incident I have no sympathy for anybody willing to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated and put other peoples' lives in danger because they're not responsible.

Not drinking and driving doesn't make me PERFECT, it makes me not ****ing retarded. If he wasn't a Flyers goalie you guys wouldn't give a **** about his death, he'd just be another statistic. Him dying is tragic, but the way he died is no one's fault but his own and because he plays for the Flyers doesn't make the means in which he died any more acceptable.

And no, I'm not perfect, I have done things wrong in my life but I've never put another person's life in danger while doing so.

I wasn't around to see him play but the story does sadden me as i've seen too many people die young, one most likely caused by the same thing Pelle's accident was. Especially sad seeing what could have been. I am 100% against drinking and driving but everypody makes mistakes, Pelle's cost him his life. I think it's disrespectful to say he doesn't deserve to be praised. I'm sure you would be singing a different tune if it was someone you knew and loved. RIP Pelle

That argument is really flawed. Yeah, I lost somebody I knew and loved, but I have a feeling that's a bit more personal to me than Lindbergh dying is to you.

For the record, I'm not glad he's dead or anything, I agree it's tragic that he made a mistake and died. However, I just don't see praising and honoring a death caused in such a way as appropriate.

HOF, I think you're missing the point. No one here is glorifying his death or drunk driving. Kurt Cobain shot himself in the ****ing face, doesn't mean people don't listen to Nirvana anymore. I can't speak for everyone, but I look at Lindbergh as a sobering (pun intended) reminder of mortality, even from an athlete as talented as him.

Sorry, but I lost my best friend to a drunk driver, she was walking home from my house and got hit. I know you probably don't care much to hear my life story but because of that incident I have no sympathy for anybody willing to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated and put other peoples' lives in danger because they're not responsible.

Not drinking and driving doesn't make me PERFECT, it makes me not ****ing retarded. If he wasn't a Flyers goalie you guys wouldn't give a **** about his death, he'd just be another statistic. Him dying is tragic, but the way he died is no one's fault but his own and because he plays for the Flyers doesn't make the means in which he died any more acceptable.

And no, I'm not perfect, I have done things wrong in my life but I've never put another person's life in danger while doing so.



That argument is really flawed. Yeah, I lost somebody I knew and loved, but I have a feeling that's a bit more personal to me than Lindbergh dying is to you.

For the record, I'm not glad he's dead or anything, I agree it's tragic that he made a mistake and died. However, I just don't see praising and honoring a death caused in such a way as appropriate.

Well said.

HOF, I think you're missing the point. No one here is glorifying his death or drunk driving. Kurt Cobain shot himself in the ****ing face, doesn't mean people don't listen to Nirvana anymore. I can't speak for everyone, but I look at Lindbergh as a sobering (pun intended) reminder of mortality, even from an athlete as talented as him.

Even more well said.

Sorry, but this is one of those times off-ice drama forever trumps anything he did on the ice.

HOF, I think you're missing the point. No one here is glorifying his death or drunk driving. Kurt Cobain shot himself in the ****ing face, doesn't mean people don't listen to Nirvana anymore. I can't speak for everyone, but I look at Lindbergh as a sobering (pun intended) reminder of mortality, even from an athlete as talented as him.

I definitely see where you're coming from and I must admit I'm biased based on my personal life experiences, so I apologize for that. I just don't have much of a heart for behavior that not only puts one's own life in danger, but endangers others also. Also, I wasn't alive to see him play or see the impact of his death, so perhaps if I had been my opinion would be different.

Luckily enough no one but himself died. Leave it at that. Huge potiental and he truly was a nice guy, i've read that exact book and seen several documentaries and rews reports about and he was the nicest guy.

We all make mistakes, he just did really dumb one costing himself his life :<

There's no denying the societal and personal impacts of the subject. There is no way to smooth the feelings of those who lost loved ones in similar ways. I don't think anyone would attempt to do that. It's controversial and likely the determining factor in why the Flyers have never retired the jersey number 31 (equating that with 1, 4, 7 and 16). The memorial service was done as a measure of paying respect to a fallen teammate, son and person. The image of Pelle's dad is forever etched in my memory -- that photo still resonates with me. The other issue is the chronology.

Flyers' fans remember the Saturday night win against Boston in which Bob Froese played. The trade rumors that he was being showcased in a potential deal. The team's record on top of the NHL standings. Then, the initial reports of Sunday morning. Will he return this season? Wait, how serious is this? What happened? It was a process in which hours went into days. We all saw players, people in their 20s, professional on the ice and smiling when a team scored. Outsiders weren't used to seeing these players cry. It was shocking. People get attached to professional athletes, sometimes too closely. Lindbergh was a name.

I remember watching the 1980 Olympics opener between US-Sweden. Not because I wanted to see Eruzione and company as much as I wanted to see this kid the Flyers drafted. I was wowed from that one game. We all were. The 1980 US team was the greatest achievement in the sport's history to many observers (likely, me included) but I will always remember watching part of that first game and having people ask me why I was so interested. Those same people, days later, were all caught up in the euphoria and for obvious and significant reasons -- so was I -- but there was the interest of Pelle for me. Then he became a Flyer. It wasn't all peaches and cream. He struggled at times. Then came the not-so-glorious years of the 1982-84 Flyers' PO runs but we saw promise and potential with Lindbergh as the backbone. People here know how I feel about Mike Keenan and with 1984-85 the swagger returned. Keenan, Smith, Tocchet, Zezel, these newbies added to the returning players like Lindbergh.

Ask people and the reasons will vary but for those of us who recall those days, we saw a young man die. Of course there were two injured people. No one wants to see the innocent hurt but it was Pelle's parents, his fiancee, those faces whose lives were forever altered by his actions. But he paid the biggest price. I will end it with a simple rest in peace.

There were about a dozen Flyers players who drove drunk that night. If you are going to condemn Lindbergh, condemn everyone else, too (and, for that matter, condemn the hockey culture of the time, where that was considered normal behavior to go out and have a few -- sometimes more than a few -- and then get behind the wheel). The only real difference is that Pelle crashed and died, and the others made it home.

With the except of Bob Froese, Pelle was actually the least likely player on that team to get involved in a drinking and driving accident. He rarely drank during the season and probably (although we'll never know) only did so that night because Keenan had given the team the next two days off and there was a long break until the next game night against Edmonton.

I'm not saying that what Lindbergh did was excusable or right, but you have to view it in context. The fact that he drove recklessly on a regular basis was actually the single biggest factor in how things ended up for him.

And even if you don't feel sorry for Lindbergh, you have to feel for his parents, Sigge and Anna-Lisa (who less than two years later had to bury another one of their three children after Pelle's older sister, Ann-Christine, lost a long battle with cancer). You have to feel for his fiancee, Kerstin. And you have to feel for all his friends and teammates that he left behind.

One of those friends was Ed Parvin Jr., who was one of the two passengers in the car. Parvin has never blamed Pelle for what happened, and holds no bitterness whatsoever.

In terms of putting a human face on the tragedy, here are photos of Pelle's mom, Anna-Lisa, his then-fiancee Kerstin (red jacket) and his older sister, Ann-Louise (black sweatshirt) at a gravesite memorial earlier this year, on what would have been his 51st birthday. Pelle's sister is also buried there. His father's name is on the other side of the headstone.

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I remember the day well, hearing that Lindbergh had died. I was 19, and had been a Flyers fan for about 12 years. I was pretty choked up by it, and it drove home how fragile life was.

There were about a dozen Flyers players who drove drunk that night. If you are going to condemn Lindbergh, condemn everyone else, too (and, for that matter, condemn the hockey culture of the time, where that was considered normal behavior to go out and have a few -- sometimes more than a few -- and then get behind the wheel). The only real difference is that Pelle crashed and died, and the others made it home.

With the except of Bob Froese, Pelle was actually the least likely player on that team to get involved in a drinking and driving accident. He rarely drank during the season and probably (although we'll never know) only did so that night because Keenan had given the team the next two days off and there was a long break until the next game night against Edmonton.

I'm not saying that what Lindbergh did was excusable or right, but you have to view it in context. The fact that he drove recklessly on a regular basis was actually the single biggest factor in how things ended up for him.

And even if you don't feel sorry for Lindbergh, you have to feel for his parents, Sigge and Anna-Lisa (who less than two years later had to bury another one of their three children after Pelle's older sister, Ann-Christine, lost a long battle with cancer). You have to feel for his fiancee, Kerstin. And you have to feel for all his friends and teammates that he left behind.

One of those friends was Ed Parvin Jr., who was one of the two passengers in the car. Parvin has never blamed Pelle for what happened, and holds no bitterness whatsoever.

In terms of putting a human face on the tragedy, here are photos of Pelle's mom, Anna-Lisa, his then-fiancee Kerstin (red jacket) and his older sister, Ann-Louise (black sweatshirt) at a gravesite memorial earlier this year, on what would have been his 51st birthday. Pelle's sister is also buried there. His father's name is on the other side of the headstone.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs552.snc3/30210_119526354750846_100000804478373_101739_72734 97_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs512.ash1/30210_119526381417510_100000804478373_101744_42763 20_n.jpg

Well said Bill. I purchased and read "Behind the White Mask" It was a great read. It gave me a huge perspective of Pelle as a person and a player and I suggest it for anyone who's interested in not only Lindbergh but the Flyers too.

There were about a dozen Flyers players who drove drunk that night. If you are going to condemn Lindbergh, condemn everyone else, too (and, for that matter, condemn the hockey culture of the time, where that was considered normal behavior to go out and have a few -- sometimes more than a few -- and then get behind the wheel). The only real difference is that Pelle crashed and died, and the others made it home.

With the except of Bob Froese, Pelle was actually the least likely player on that team to get involved in a drinking and driving accident. He rarely drank during the season and probably (although we'll never know) only did so that night because Keenan had given the team the next two days off and there was a long break until the next game night against Edmonton.

I'm not saying that what Lindbergh did was excusable or right, but you have to view it in context. The fact that he drove recklessly on a regular basis was actually the single biggest factor in how things ended up for him.

And even if you don't feel sorry for Lindbergh, you have to feel for his parents, Sigge and Anna-Lisa (who less than two years later had to bury another one of their three children after Pelle's older sister, Ann-Christine, lost a long battle with cancer). You have to feel for his fiancee, Kerstin. And you have to feel for all his friends and teammates that he left behind.

One of those friends was Ed Parvin Jr., who was one of the two passengers in the car. Parvin has never blamed Pelle for what happened, and holds no bitterness whatsoever.

In terms of putting a human face on the tragedy, here are photos of Pelle's mom, Anna-Lisa, his then-fiancee Kerstin (red jacket) and his older sister, Ann-Louise (black sweatshirt) at a gravesite memorial earlier this year, on what would have been his 51st birthday. Pelle's sister is also buried there. His father's name is on the other side of the headstone.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs552.snc3/30210_119526354750846_100000804478373_101739_72734 97_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs512.ash1/30210_119526381417510_100000804478373_101744_42763 20_n.jpg

Very well said, Bill. I really enjoyed the book, it's been passed around my family twice now.

What could have been....:(


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Thanks for a good read.
So many memories attached to Pelle's death. I was ten at the time and actually got to stay up later than usual to watch the sports news, there were no NHL games on TV in Sweden back then. I remember footage of Pelle playing for team Sweden (no NHL, I told you), footage of the wall outside of that school and a short glimpse of his Porsche taken away by a semi.

Although I had just about never seen him play it felt really weird he was gone just like that. My father came from the same part of Stockholm and I played games at the same rink Pelle had played in before heading over to NA. And a lot of people around hockey knew him, I bumped in to players, coaches and trainers several years later who had worked with him, knew his parents and so on..

Pelle's fiancee returned to Sweden and worked together with my mother for a couple of years but rarely spoke about him.

It actually warms my heart a little to see him remembered in Philly.

The man's death was his own fault. He not only put his life on the line by driving drunk but endangered other people as well. Sure he was good, but he shouldn't be praised and honored. He's not Pat Tillman, he didn't die courageously.

As horrible as this sounds, it's correct. I will condem any drunk driver. When you are a relative of someone who is hit by one of these fools then maybe you will understand.

The man's death was his own fault. He not only put his life on the line by driving drunk but endangered other people as well. Sure he was good, but he shouldn't be praised and honored. He's not Pat Tillman, he didn't die courageously.

If I said what I want to say to you I will be banned from this site. How does it feel to be ....... perfect? Let me know cause you are the 1st person who has not made any mistakes in their life. It was terrible about Pat. It was a shame that the government tried to cover has death by "friendly fire" up.

It was just hockey culture. Drunk driving just wasn't the issue it is today back then. The idiots at MADD hadn't even gotten the ball rolling on their original noble mission yet.

If I said what I want to say to you I will be banned from this site. How does it feel to be ....... perfect? Let me know cause you are the 1st person who has not made any mistakes in their life. It was terrible about Pat. It was a shame that the government tried to cover has death by "friendly fire" up.

Message me then and tell me what you want to say. I don't care. I'm sorry that I don't mourn the death of a man just because he was a Flyers goalie. Let me say this again, if he was just some average joe, none of you would even take the time to read the ****ing obituary. And Tillman died defending this country, a country he gave up his dream to fight for. The 2 aren't even in the same category.

You know what, fine. I'll admit, based on my bias on this subject maybe I should have refrained from posting in here, but I honestly don't see what I said that was so insane. That his death was his fault? Because it was. I'm pretty sure he was the one pounding back the drinks and getting into a car. I will say I feel bad for his family and I feel bad that a single bad decision cut his life short, but the situation could have been avoided very easily.

I drove by the site this evening after leaving the Skate Zone. My son had hockey practice and I used the opportunity to talk about drinking and driving. I spoke about what impaired judgment is and how one mistake - or rather, a chain of small mistakes - can be so costly. I described Pelle's last drive and showed him the wall as we approached, asking him what he saw coming up.

I can still remember my mom driving my brother and I to deliver newspapers on that Sunday morning. My brother, the huge Pelle Lindbergh fan, was in the back seat as we delivered my route first. I got back to the car to get another bundle of newspapers when I saw my brother crying. I was asking him what he said (to tick my mom off and get smacked as usual) when my mom cut me short and told me why he was upset. Here's my then-best friend / little brother bawling because Pelle was brain-dead. I delivered both my route and his route that day. I will never forget it.

Message me then and tell me what you want to say. I don't care. I'm sorry that I don't mourn the death of a man just because he was a Flyers goalie. Let me say this again, if he was just some average joe, none of you would even take the time to read the ****ing obituary. And Tillman died defending this country, a country he gave up his dream to fight for. The 2 aren't even in the same category.

You know what, fine. I'll admit, based on my bias on this subject maybe I should have refrained from posting in here, but I honestly don't see what I said that was so insane. That his death was his fault? Because it was. I'm pretty sure he was the one pounding back the drinks and getting into a car. I will say I feel bad for his family and I feel bad that a single bad decision cut his life short, but the situation could have been avoided very easily.

You have your opinion and I have mine. I do not want to message you because I do not want to even deal with you anymore.I just do not think I like you. I knew Pelle and you would not have met a finer human being and for you to say those things about him truly stings. You make it sound like he was a guy who did not give a **** about anything and was a ****ing drunkard. I have lost friends and family in battle so to use Pat as a example vs Pelle, well I will just leave it at that. So stay in your glass house mr. I never made a mistake hof.

I drove by the site this evening after leaving the Skate Zone. My son had hockey practice and I used the opportunity to talk about drinking and driving. I spoke about what impaired judgment is and how one mistake - or rather, a chain of small mistakes - can be so costly. I described Pelle's last drive and showed him the wall as we approached, asking him what he saw coming up.

I can still remember my mom driving my brother and I to deliver newspapers on that Sunday morning. My brother, the huge Pelle Lindbergh fan, was in the back seat as we delivered my route first. I got back to the car to get another bundle of newspapers when I saw my brother crying. I was asking him what he said (to tick my mom off and get smacked as usual) when my mom cut me short and told me why he was upset. Here's my then-best friend / little brother bawling because Pelle was brain-dead. I delivered both my route and his route that day. I will never forget it.

I still remember getting that phone call that morning. It felt like the blood just drained out of me. Two of my friends were on the Magnolia fire squad and responded to the call, they did not know who was involved at first.It was a miracle the other two passengers even survived. Once Gary found out it was Pelle he called me with the news and told me it did not look good. Later in the morning it was confirmed he would not make it. Nothing ever good comes out of drinking and driving. Pelle was a fun loving young man who loved life dearly and made a mistake a paid for it with his life.

http://svtplay.se/v/2226990/stopptid/7_11

Hopefully the link works. Here's a translation of the Swedish in the video...

Reporter: Can you remove that helmet to give people a chance to recognize you? Although you're often wearing a helmet... Who are you?

- Pelle Lindbergh, I play ice hockey.

It's 1972, a junior Hammarby team will get to travel to Canda. In net, the immensely promising 13-year old Pelle Lindbergh. Charming, happy and initiative.

- Do you get scared?
- No, you can't get scared when you're in net, that wouldn't be good.
- Have you ever gotten injured?
- Not really, but I've been hit on my arms and things like that.
- How does that feel?
- It hurts, but it passes.

In the 1979 World Championships game against Czechoslovakia Lindbergh gets his breakthrough performance.

Of course he'd go to the NHL. It's now 1985 and Lindbergh is the Flyers star who has been voted to be the best goalie in the league.

There's a game at the Spectrum and the home team can get to the finals by defeating the Quebec Nordiques. One player in particular is the reason behind their success, he's a goalie from in Stockholm.

Pelle Lindbergh has established himself as the best goalie in the league. The opponents haven't been able to find any weaknesses in his game and hockey experts agree that he's the reason for the Flyers success.

- I went back to my old style of play and didn't try to become a new Bernie Parent or Jacques Plante like I tried to do in the two years prior to this one. Then I would always try to stand up to cut off the angles, but now I've gone back to my own style, the Pelle Lindbergh style.

- Do you feel more confident this season?
- Since the team had success early the team were more confident with my play and so I got more confident, it almost felt like we couldn't lose.

More than 17,000 spectators cheer for their heroes in Philadelphia who got to the finals by defeating Quebec with a score of 3-0.

- It's always been a dream to get this far, and now we're here. It's hard to believe.

- One gets the impression that when the Flyers do well, you're seen as a hero and idol.
- That's usually how things are as a goalie, when you're winning you're the star and when you're losing you're the one to blame. Now we've won a bunch of games this year and everyone sees me as a really good player. That's just how it is.

In the United States his childhood dream has come true. He has fast cars, a boat, a house, a big-screen TV and he gets to play hockey. A young kid from Söder (in Stockholm) in Sweden that now has gone west.

[I]Caption: Six months later Pelle Lindbergh would lose his life in an car accident

You have your opinion and I have mine. I do not want to message you because I do not want to even deal with you anymore.I just do not think I like you. I knew Pelle and you would not have met a finer human being and for you to say those things about him truly stings. You make it sound like he was a guy who did not give a **** about anything and was a ****ing drunkard. I have lost friends and family in battle so to use Pat as a example vs Pelle, well I will just leave it at that. So stay in your glass house mr. I never made a mistake hof.

I never ****ing said that I was perfect. The only difference is the mistakes I make don't put my life or others' lives in danger. I'm sorry you that you knew him, that has to make it a lot worse, but had it been another, less known player, one you didn't know, would you feel the same way? Countless people die every day, were their lives not just as important as Pelle Lindbergh's? Sure they didn't have the recognition that Lindbergh did but that doesn't make it less tragic.

About 20 years ago, there was an NBA player (Charles Smith) who was a driver (charged but acquitted as a drunk driver) and he killed two Boston University students in a hit-and-run head-on collision. He did time as a result but basically wasn't physically injured. I doubt many were sympathetic to his situation. He survived, they didn't. If Lindbergh or anyone else did that, I wouldn't be inclined to say "poor guy, he must be devastated." If Lindbergh survived that night but wiped out a pregnant lady working the overnight shift at a local hospital, the feelings would be different. In this situation, he died. Yes, others were injured and many including his parents emotionally scarred but in this specific situation he didn't kill anyone but himself. Just in closing, I feel terribly for anyone who had to suffer a painful loss as a result of someone else's behavior.

The loss of life is tragic - whether it's defending our Country or from a mistake - and everyone will grieve differently. For many Flyer fans, I think most mourn the loss of "what could have been" and not the man. But the fact of the matter is - he was someone's son, many people's friend, and they miss him regardless of the circumstances.

RIP Pelle!

The loss of life is tragic - whether it's defending our Country or from a mistake - and everyone will grieve differently. For many Flyer fans, I think most mourn the loss of "what could have been" and not the man. But the fact of the matter is - he was someone's son, many people's friend, and they miss him regardless of the circumstances.

Of course I feel bad for his friends and family, and I feel bad for him that a single mistake led to his death, and yielded no option for redemption. But the thing that gets to me is, Flyers fans, like you say, mourn the loss of "what could have been". This to me seems they are more mourning the chances that the Flyers would have had with him alive rather than just mourning that he died. It makes me wonder if it was some 4th liner if anybody would care all that much. I know for a fact they wouldn't receive the kind of mourning that Lindbergh received. I understand Lindbergh had incredible potential but his skills should not cause anybody to mourn him more.

Regardless, RIP Pelle

RnDj8LUb2n0

Really nice video from a Flyer's fan in Stockholm.

Secondly,

I never ****ing said that I was perfect. The only difference is the mistakes I make don't put my life or others' lives in danger. I'm sorry you that you knew him, that has to make it a lot worse, but had it been another, less known player, one you didn't know, would you feel the same way? Countless people die every day, were their lives not just as important as Pelle Lindbergh's? Sure they didn't have the recognition that Lindbergh did but that doesn't make it less tragic.

Man, I get your point. But in all respect, honestly 100% not trying to be a dick here, that argument is worthless. We ALL "knew" Pelle because he was apart of something we all had a passion for. The fact is the world can not stop for each and every person that dies. It would be nice, but it just can't be like that. Pelle was an icon in Flyers history and was missed because of that. To some (and again, sadly), other people's deaths take priority over others. If you told me Mike Richards died tomorrow and that some other guy fell in a manhole right after I would immediately be heartbroken over Mike and learn about it as quickly as I could. Anyone else who wasn't a Flyer's fan probably just treated it as another death in the news, and they fall in the category of not really feeling the entire effect because they simply didn't know who he was. Also, sorry about your friend too. Drunk driving is terrible, but Pelle had everything to lose, it was a mistake from an otherwise lively and responsible person. He just didn't get a second chance.

Of course I feel bad for his friends and family, and I feel bad for him that a single mistake led to his death, and yielded no option for redemption. But the thing that gets to me is, Flyers fans, like you say, mourn the loss of "what could have been". This to me seems they are more mourning the chances that the Flyers would have had with him alive rather than just mourning that he died. It makes me wonder if it was some 4th liner if anybody would care all that much. I know for a fact they wouldn't receive the kind of mourning that Lindbergh received. I understand Lindbergh had incredible potential but his skills should not cause anybody to mourn him more.

Regardless, RIP Pelle

When celebrities, famous athletes and generally famous people die, people mourn them more, its just the way it is. Our society as a whole practically worships these people when they pass before their time and after. Pelle was a very popular player in Philadelphia and he showed that love through his fantastic love for the game and the city of Philadelphia. I can't blame people for mourning the loss of "what could have been" because Pelle was arguably the best goalie in the NHL at the time, along with the Flyers being the best team in the NHL.His out going, very approachable personality is also another reason why he was popular among the city of Philadelphia and the Flyers locker room. I think people mourn both Pelle as a fantastic human being and mourn the fact the Flyers just weren't the same after Pelle's accident. Furthermore I am in no way saying what Pelle did that night was acceptable, but lets face it, that was the hockey culture back then and 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 Pelle wouldn't of even had a drink, let alone drink and drive.. it wasn't in him and he tended to have fun without booze. One mistake ended it all and its truly unfortunate.

RIP Pelle #31

I hadn't been aware that Pelle had a sister who died as well. That's even more sad to have it happen twice.

There were about a dozen Flyers players who drove drunk that night. If you are going to condemn Lindbergh, condemn everyone else, too (and, for that matter, condemn the hockey culture of the time, where that was considered normal behavior to go out and have a few -- sometimes more than a few -- and then get behind the wheel). The only real difference is that Pelle crashed and died, and the others made it home.

With the except of Bob Froese, Pelle was actually the least likely player on that team to get involved in a drinking and driving accident. He rarely drank during the season and probably (although we'll never know) only did so that night because Keenan had given the team the next two days off and there was a long break until the next game night against Edmonton.

I'm not saying that what Lindbergh did was excusable or right, but you have to view it in context. The fact that he drove recklessly on a regular basis was actually the single biggest factor in how things ended up for him.

And even if you don't feel sorry for Lindbergh, you have to feel for his parents, Sigge and Anna-Lisa (who less than two years later had to bury another one of their three children after Pelle's older sister, Ann-Christine, lost a long battle with cancer). You have to feel for his fiancee, Kerstin. And you have to feel for all his friends and teammates that he left behind.

One of those friends was Ed Parvin Jr., who was one of the two passengers in the car. Parvin has never blamed Pelle for what happened, and holds no bitterness whatsoever.

In terms of putting a human face on the tragedy, here are photos of Pelle's mom, Anna-Lisa, his then-fiancee Kerstin (red jacket) and his older sister, Ann-Louise (black sweatshirt) at a gravesite memorial earlier this year, on what would have been his 51st birthday. Pelle's sister is also buried there. His father's name is on the other side of the headstone.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs552.snc3/30210_119526354750846_100000804478373_101739_72734 97_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs512.ash1/30210_119526381417510_100000804478373_101744_42763 20_n.jpg

Great article Bill. I met Pelle at Kings Grant when I was a foreman on a construction crew. I told him I had played goal(we used to rent ice at the Colosseum and the University of Delaware late at night) and I sucked. He cracked up.What a nice young man. Four of us split two lower level seats at the spectrum for years and I happened to have the first game after his death. It just so happened that Pelle was on that ticket. It was the first time where they did not tear the ticket. Just mark the back. There were a lot of tears shed that evening. It just saddens me that there are some people that are just blinded by hate. Anyway once again thank you for remembering Pelle

It makes me wonder if it was some 4th liner if anybody would care all that much. I know for a fact they wouldn't receive the kind of mourning that Lindbergh received. I understand Lindbergh had incredible potential but his skills should not cause anybody to mourn him more.

Regardless, RIP Pelle

The fourth liner as described is a hypothetical compared to the actuality that was Lindbergh. But take the case of Dmitri Tertyshny who died in a totally different and tragic manner. A young man. A relatively unknown commodity as a player. I remember watching one of the national news shows -- news, not sports -- when I saw the scroll at the bottom of the screen which listed his death and initial details of the boating accident. It was chilling to say the least but the coverage wasn't the same mostly due to the name recognition and likely the cause was a contributing factor (there were plenty of photos of a smashed Porsche compared to the eyewitness accounts of a boating accident).

At the same time, of course this is a less dramatic scene since it involves injury and not death, but I watched Bernie Parent's final game and still remember the shock of when he skated to the bench hand covering his eye. Now, to use the hypothetical of an AHL callup, would the gut-wrenching feeling be the same? Most likely, no, but that is borne out of name-recognition yetn there would still be concern about the AHL player as a person.

I actually had a fellow classmate of mine last year who died because him and his friends drank and drove, they drove thru the bottom of a 2 story house. 2 survived, and one died. Regardless of whether you agree with there decision, you must pay respect. RIP Pelle

R.I.P. Pelle.

I happened to have the first game after his death. It just so happened that Pelle was on that ticket. It was the first time where they did not tear the ticket. Just mark the back.

My Dad still has his ticket from that game saved in a glass case.