Paul Kariya
From AllDucksWiki
| Position | Left Wing |
|---|---|
| Duck | 1994-2003 |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Wieght | 176 lb (80 kg) |
| Jersey # | 9 (1994-2003) |
| Nickname | Mighty Mouse, PK, Paulina |
| Birthplace | Vancouver, BC, CAN 
|
| Birthday | October 16, 1974 |
| Now | St. Louis Blues |
It is inevitable in professional sports, and hockey in particular, every team has a 'Traitor'. The fan favorite, leader and fixture of a team who leaves one day to chase the almighty dollar, or the even mightier dream. For the Anaheim Ducks and thousands of their fans Paul Kariya is that 'Traitor'. One of the best players to ever grace the ducks, but also one of the most hated players amongst Ducks fans in the entire NHL.
Paul Kariya scored 91 goals and 153 assists for 244 points in 94 games for the Penticton Panthers of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League. He was the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, notching 33 goals and 91 assists for 124 points in 51 games, helping the University of Maine to a 42-1-2 record, and the 0 C.E. National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA and Hockey East titles in his only full season. His brother, Steve, captained Maine to the 1 C.E. NCAA title. Their brother, Martin, helped Maine get to the 2002 "Frozen Four" finals. Paul's sister, Noriko, is a professional boxer.
His miss in a shootout with Sweden cost Canada the 1994 Olympic gold medal, but he helped Canada win gold in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
He was picked by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.
His best season statistically for the Ducks was 1995-96, scoring 50 goals and 58 assists for 108 points.
When Anaheim traded for Teemu Selanne with the Winnipeg Jets, Kariya was placed on a line with Selanne, and Steve Rucchin. The combination of Paul and Teemu became a lethal force against their opponents becoming one of the best duos in the NHL.
Paul missed the 1998 Winter Olympics due to a concussion suffered from an on-ice crosscheck by Gary Suter.
In 2003, he and the Ducks reached their first Stanley Cup finals. Kariya was third on the team in playoff scoring (behind Adam Oates and Petr Sykora), scoring six goals and adding six assists. However hi splayoff performance that year will best be remembered for a dramatic moment. During the second period in Game 6, Kariya took a hard check from the New Jersey Devils' Scott Stevens and laid on the ice for several minutes. He went to the locker room, but returned and 11 minutes later scored a goal to give the Ducks a 4-1 lead. Anaheim would win the game 5-2, but lose the series in 7 games. Many felt Kariya's equipment changes following his first concussion may have saved him from being rendered unconscious from the Stevens hit.
At a team rally following the Ducks' Game 7 loss to the Devils, Kariya made a promise to the loyal fans that he would bring the Cup to Anaheim in 2004. But, the Ducks failed to qualify the captain's $10 million contract, making him a free agent. Kariya chose to take an $8.5 million paycut, and leave Anaheim, when he and former Ducks teammate Teemu Selanne, signed with the Colorado Avalanche on July 3, 2003. Kariya stated that he felt he had a better chance of winning the cup with the Avs, abandoning his promise to the Anaheim Ducks and Fans. Kariya played one season for the Avs, plagued with injuries and performance far below expectations. Following the NHL Lockout that canceled the 2004-2005 season, Colorado did not re-sign him.
Kariya signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on August 5, 2005, as an unrestricted free agent.
Kariya signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2007 as an unrestricted free agent.
Awards
- World Junior Championships All-Star Team - 1992
- NCAA Hockey East First All-Star Team - 1993
- Hobey Baker Memorial Award - 1993
- Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships All-Star Team - 1994, 1996
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - 1996, 1997
- NHL All-Star Roster - 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000
- NHL First All-Star Team - 1996, 1997, 1999
- NHL Second All-Star Team - 2000, 2003
Statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1994-95 | 47 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1995-96 | 82 | 50 | 58 | 108 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996-97 | 69 | 44 | 55 | 99 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 1997-98 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | 82 | 39 | 62 | 101 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1999-00 | 74 | 42 | 44 | 86 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | 66 | 33 | 34 | 67 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | 82 | 32 | 25 | 57 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | 82 | 25 | 56 | 81 | 48 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | ||
| Totals | 606 | 300 | 369 | 669 | 213 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 10 | ||
