Eric Lindros on his hockey memorabilia auction and Hall of Fame wait

Eric Lindros is auctioning off a number of items from his hockey career through Montreal-based Classic Auctions ending March 7. There are jerseys, helmets, pucks, awards, and even knee braces.

While the collection isn’t everything from his career – he’s keeping some items for his kids – there was one piece of Lindros memorabilia I was curious about: Where was the Quebec Nordiques jersey that he was given and never wore during the 1991 NHL Draft when he was selected first overall?

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“That’s in a safety deposit box at the TD Bank,” Lindros told Yahoo Sports Wednesday morning. “I’m gonna hang on to that.”

Like many other former NHL players, a number the items up for bid were in bags or stored away in an attic. “It’s not like cutlery where you use it everyday,” he said. And since Lindros and his family are preparing for a move, passing on these pieces of memorabilia to fans who would appreciate them seemed like the best idea.

“It’s a timing situation where I have held on to these items for a while and appreciated them, but it’s time to move on and hopefully others can appreciate them in the same regard,” Lindros said.

You won’t find much of anything hockey-related on display in Lindros’ current or future home. With young kids in the house, it’s best to keep those items secure somewhere. But he’s also just also not one to dress up a rec room with memories from his career.

“Our house is different. I don’t need my kids to go through to see it,” he said. “I don’t need to see it all the time to feel good. Yeah, I really appreciate the luck that I had and the good fortune that came with playing hockey, but I don’t need to see that every time I turn my head.”

It’s been a busy few months for Lindros. Last spring, he put his support behind Rowan’s Law, which was created to help educate and establish better concussion protocols for clearing athlete’s to return to their sport. And in November, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after years of debate.

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Despite the wait to get enshrined in Toronto, Lindros never lost hope.

“It’s completely out of your hands. You certainly know the date that they announce things and you do hope,” he said. “But, hey, listen, I went in this year. Rogie Vachon went in and he waited until he’s 71 — I mean, six years is nothing. I was fortunate, once you’re in you’re in for life. I’m looking forward and extremely humbled and proud. I’ve got a lot of people to thank that made things work out.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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