[VIDEO] Paul Kariya: Legends Series (1997) - The Most Exciting Player Outside of Pavel Bure?

CambieKev

Scout. Future Considerations, Dobber Prospects.
Aug 26, 2019
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This is Episode Three of my Legends series, which features the individual performances of historical NHL players to showcase their styles of play.

Today's episode: Paul Kariya.

This presentation features Kariya’s playoff performance against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals.

He was one of the game’s quickest players, zipping across great distances as though he had been shot out of a cannon, his legs moving practically twice as fast as anybody else’s. Speed, agility, skill and vision defined his game. He could rifle the puck past the goaltender with a booming slap shot or generate a high-quality scoring chance by swerving a few times through the neutral zone with the puck before delivering it to a teammate.

Kariya commonly deferred the puck to his teammates in the neutral zone and then darted up the ice at full speed for a return feed. Give-and-go opportunities became the norm for Kariya, especially on his usual line alongside the speedy Selanne and centerman Steve Rucchin.

Scouts initially compared him to Wayne Gretzky, a testament to his vision and his tendency to loop around the neutral zone with the puck. While those sentiments soon dwindled, he became the first breakout star of the 1993 NHL Draft class and, like Gretzky, was an ambassador for hockey in California.

Not long after debuting in the NHL in 1995, Kariya became a household name in the hockey world. Few could more appropriately represent Disney’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim than the studious, gentlemanly Paul Kariya — he won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in his first three seasons and was a popular candidate throughout his career.

He was also one of the most prolific scorers of the late-1990s, ranking sixth in total points and fourth in points per game after only Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Eric Lindros between 1995-96 and 1999-00. At the age of 22, he became the Hart Trophy runner-up, ranking ahead of Lemieux and only behind Dominik Hasek in terms of votes.

Foot injuries slowed him down and concussions decimated his quality of play. Gary Suter and Scott Stevens, two former NHL defencemen, are both highly responsible for Kariya’s decline.

”The thing is, this foot is so messed up now... I sprained my right ankle my first year, and it’s never recovered. This is basically just spraining my ankle again, because I can’t use it... You keep immobilizing it, and it just keeps stiffening up... It’ll never get back to the way it should be.” - Paul Kariya, December 2000 (“Kariya’s Foot,” Calgary Herald, 24 Dec 2000).

In spite of this, he tallied 402 goals and 989 points in 989 career NHL games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 and his #9 was retired by the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 -- two long-overdue honors.
 
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Hammettf2b

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Jul 9, 2012
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Did he ever get forgiven from the Ducks brass? I never see him in anything Duck related and he isn't even as close as beloved as Teemu.
 
Jan 21, 2011
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My all-time favorite player. I love Teemu as well, but Kariya is number one.


Did he ever get forgiven from the Ducks brass? I never see him in anything Duck related and he isn't even as close as beloved as Teemu.

There was bad blood many, many years ago. He still lives in SoCal but is very private and secluded. He enjoys being away from the game - he loved having his number retired! :nod:
 

TheAngryHank

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May 28, 2008
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1997 most exciting player? Almost as if Feds didn't exist, wasn’t Bondra running wild in 97?
 

The Panther

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Such a dynamic player from 1996 to 2000. He was up there, near the very top. Hart runner-up in '97, and that summer The Hockey News actually rated him the best hockey player in the world.

The sad truth is, his prime years were destroyed by the head-hunting Dead-Puck Era.

Sometimes overlooked, his post-Lock Out 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons with Nashville were outstanding, though he had lost the 'zip' of old.

His public and media-personality is a bit odd. I always feel he is uncomfortable speaking on camera. He clearly has some lingering issues with both the Ducks' organization and the NHL, which are understandable.
 
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Tofveve

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I loved Kariya, worthy induction into the HHOF. But it's another inductee that confirms Theo Fleury - love him or hate him - should also be in.
 

Sky04

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Jan 8, 2009
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Where did you get those game clips? Great quality, he was so quick, even faster than I remember but just look at those clips and see how much you could get away with in the dead puck era. No doubt in my mind this guy would be putting up ridiculous numbers in today's game.
 

CambieKev

Scout. Future Considerations, Dobber Prospects.
Aug 26, 2019
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694
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Just watched the video. Is that the Tekken soundtrack? Nice! :yo:
It's a great soundtrack, and it definitely fits with the '90s theme of the video. :D
One of the absolute best players from 1995-2000. If you didn’t watch at the time or are not a historian of the game and you’re just looking at career stats and awards, you’ll never understand.

Fantastic showcases, TC, keep them up.
Thanks, Jlaw!
Hasek was the most exciting player in the late 90s.
There's certainly no definitive answer, but Kariya brought a rare sense of style and entertainment to the game. I think skaters tend to receive more recognition in terms of style than goaltenders just because they can dictate the pace of play.

Paul Kariya zipped around at the height of the Dead Puck Era in a league full of big and heavy players. He was billed as the league's fastest-rising star and some considered him to be the most exciting player in the NHL. Some felt it was Jagr, some Bure, and I agree that Hasek was phenomenal any time the puck flew in his direction.

Bure and Kariya were the only two players of the DPE to combine high-octane offense with such prolific scoring ability. They were phenomenal. Consider how much better they would have been without the constant, aggressive obstruction.
Kariya rises as cream of '93 crop: As the Ottawa Senators contemplate trading Alexandre Daigle, Tom Casey revisits the 1993 draft.: [Final Edition]
Casey, Tom. The Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa, Ont. [Ottawa, Ont]06 Jan 1998: D3.
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim selected Kariya fourth overall, and he is one of the NHL's most skilled players.

Kariya has had one 50-goal season and already has 119 goals in 209 NHL games.
...
4. Paul Kariya, left wing, Anaheim. He has the skills to replace Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's marquee player.
...
The quiet perfection of Paul Kariya: [FINAL Edition]
MacGregor, Roy. The Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa, Ont. [Ottawa, Ont]30 Apr 1996: F.1.
On the ice, it has worked out beyond even Disney's dreams. Paired with Finnish forward Teemu Selanne, Kariya is now half of the most exciting pair of wingers in the game. With Wayne Gretzky 35 and fading, the spotlight is shifting, and Paul Kariya can feel it coming.
...
Gretzky in fact met with Kariya, by arrangement, at the NHL All-Star Game in Boston, and they talked about image and responsibility and being ready for the spotlight when it finds you.
High-prices tickets, so where are high-prices stars?
Simmons, Steve. Toronto Sun. Star - Phoenix; Saskatoon, Sask. [Saskatoon, Sask]20 Oct 1997: C4.
Kariya is the most exciting player in hockey. Period. Mogilny may be the best natural goal scorer in hockey today. Fedorov may be the most complete player in the game.
No room for Kariya: Fourth on the fan ballot at wing: [Final Edition]
Jamieson, Jim. The Province; Vancouver, B.C. [Vancouver, B.C]16 Jan 1998: A52.
In a game that's all about entertainment, Paul Kariya, the league's most exciting player, will be watching on TV.
...
NHL vice-president of public relations Arthur Pincus said Kariya was left off the team simply because he hadn't played enough games by the time the selection committee's deadline came up.

"Paul came in late and I think he'd played only about six games when the decisions were being made," said Pincus. "He's an all- star, there's no question about that and it would have been great to have him on the team."
There was something to be wild about: [Final Edition]
Mason, Gary. The Vancouver Sun; Vancouver, B.C. [Vancouver, B.C]06 Mar 1999: F1 / FRONT.
Where are all the new stars? Since Paul Kariya arrived five years ago, who has entered the league since who can lift you out of your seat? Someone you can't wait to see?
...
There are exciting players: Jagr, Kariya, Selanne, Bure . . . uhm, Modano . . . uhm, Gretzky some days.

But not enough.
In December 1997, someone only identified as "Page" in this article -- I assume Ducks coach Pierre Page -- considered Kariya, at the time holding out, to be the most exciting player since Guy Lafleur.

Kariya raises bar for other superstars; Duck Season; Commentary
Matheson, Jim. Edmonton Journal; Edmonton, Alta. [Edmonton, Alta]12 Dec 1997: C.6.
"I've never coached Paul but when I coached against him he reminded me of Guy Lafleur," said Page. "He's the most exciting player since Lafleur. The way he plays at such top speed, the way he works.

"Gretzky was so smart, Kariya is so intense."
The NHL's top 10 power brokers: Analysis: The roster contains an ever-changing lineup of players, managers and corporations.: [FINAL Edition]
Warren, Ken. The Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa, Ont. [Ottawa, Ont]03 Mar 1997: B.4.
Eric Lindros/Paul Kariya

The league's two youngest superstars are included as one for several reasons.

They play widely different styles, but each represents a necessary part of the modern-day game: Lindros is the multi-dimensional physical force, with great hands for a 6-4, 236-pound centre; Kariya is one of the NHL's smallest players at an exaggerated 5-11 and 175 pounds, but is the most artistic and imaginative skater since Gretzky entered the league.

They sell tickets.
Of course, Dominik Hasek was also brilliant to watch. He had his fair share of jaw-dropping, superhuman moments. He was better than his teammate Jagr at the 1998 Olympics and the reason for their Gold Medal -- look at the names on that roster. Seeing him stylishly turn aside every Team Canada shooter in the Semi-Finals and then shut out Team Russia in the Finals remains one of my strongest memories of him. He was a one-of-a-kind player. I don't think there will ever be another Dominik Hasek.

However, Paul Kariya and Pavel Bure mesmerized audiences whenever they had the puck.

Thanks for your response, and I hope you enjoyed the video!
 
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AnInjuredJasonZucker

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Feb 21, 2014
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That was a cool video. It's interesting to see a supercut of touches by a player I haven't seen in a long time. It was not the video I was expecting, though, given the thread title. I thought there would be a goal or two in there.
 

The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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Kariya in today’s league would be wow
Indeed. Kariya is the guy from the 90s I think of most often if someone asks who would benefit most from today's NHL style. He'd be a League dominant player today, for sure. He had the speed, the skills, and the smarts. Today, he wouldn't have to stop at the red line and wouldn't have to worry about getting utterly destroyed cruising in over the blue line or going to net.

This guy...
221281.0.jpg

...ended both Wayne Gretzky's and Paul Kariya's primes. Nice.
 

wintersej

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That was a cool video. It's interesting to see a supercut of touches by a player I haven't seen in a long time. It was not the video I was expecting, though, given the thread title. I thought there would be a goal or two in there.

I like that it was a rando game instead of some highlight real of goals!
 

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