Paul Kariya

Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya (born October 16, 1974) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent and is sitting out the 2010–11 NHL season because of post-concussion syndrome.

Playing career
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 1992–93 NCAA and Hockey East titles in his only full season. His younger brother, Steve, captained Maine to the 1998–99 NCAA title and later played briefly in the NHL. His younger sister, Noriko, is a professional boxer and his youngest brother, Martin, helped Maine get to the 2002 "Frozen Four" finals.

He was picked by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim fourth-overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Kariya played for Anaheim for nine seasons and served as team captain for seven seasons. His best season statistically so far is 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 combinition of Kariya and Selanne became a lethal force against their opponents becoming one of the best duos in the NHL.

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 Sýkora), scoring six goals and adding six assists. However he 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 lay 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 seven 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 seven loss to the Devils, Kariya promised to bring the Cup to Anaheim in 2004. A verbal agreement with then-GM Bryan Murray was broken by Kariya after his $10 million-per-year contract was not qualified. Murray intended to re-sign Kariya at a lower amount (believed to be in the $6–7 million range, to which Kariya had verbally agreed) and use the extra money to find the final piece to the Cup puzzle via free agency. Instead, Kariya took an $8.8 million paycut, ensuring himself unrestricted free agency at season's end, when he and former Ducks teammate Teemu Selanne signed with the Colorado Avalanche on July 3, 2003. He believed he had a better chance at winning a Cup on the Avalanche. Kariya played in only 56 games and one playoff game that season for Colorado due to injuries, recording only 36 points.

After the season, Kariya signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators as an unrestricted free agent. In his first season with the Predators in 2005–06, Kariya tallied 31 goals and 54 assists, accumulating his most points since the 1999–2000 campaign. Kariya played in all 82 games, joining Dan Hamhuis as the only Predators to do so. On April 18, 2006, the last day of the regular season, Kariya scored a hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings in a 6–3 win. Kariya finished the year fourth in the NHL in shootout scoring percentage, converting on five of seven attempts. On November 1, 2006, Kariya reached the 800-point milestone against the Edmonton Oilers.

On July 1, 2007, Kariya signed a three-year contract worth $18 million with the St. Louis Blues. Kariya was assigned as one of the alternate captains of the Blues organization. He, along with Keith Tkachuk, and Barret Jackman rotated the position throughout the 2008–09 season. In November, he was sidelined with an injury to his left hip. After undergoing surgery, it was discovered that he needed surgery on his right hip. He returned in the 2009–10 season, scoring two goals in his first game. On March 18, 2010, Kariya scored the 400th goal of his NHL career, against the New York Rangers. On August 27th, 2010, Kariya announced that he would sit out the 2010-11 season with post-concussion syndrome. Whether Kariya will retire or return in 2011-12 remains to be seen.

International career
Kariya has played in two Olympics for the Canadian team. He failed to score as Canada's last shooter in a shootout against Sweden in the 1994 Olympic Gold Medal game, but he helped Canada win gold in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Kariya missed the 1998 Winter Olympics due to a concussion suffered from an on-ice crosscheck by Gary Suter.

Awards

 * World Junior Championships All-Star Team - 1992
 * NCAA Hockey East First All-Star Team - 1993
 * NCAA Championship Title
 * Hobey Baker Memorial Award - 1993
 * World Championships All-Star Team - 1994, 1996
 * Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - 1996, 1997
 * Played in NHL All-Star Game - 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003
 * NHL First All-Star Team - 1996, 1997, 1999
 * Puck Control Competition Champion 1999, 2000
 * NHL Second All-Star Team - 2000, 2003
 * Olympic Gold medal for Men's Ice Hockey (2002)

Records

 * Longest serving captain in Anaheim Ducks history, 8 years (1996-2003)
 * Most Puck Control Relay wins (4) at NHL All-Star Competition 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
 * Nashville Predators franchise record for assists in a season, 54 (2005–06)
 * Nashville Predators franchise record for points in a season, 85 (2005–06)