#95 - Paul Kariya

Paul Kariya (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #95)

Adjusted Stats

1994-1995   Ana        80 GP   32 goals   37 assists   69 points     0.85 PPG
1995-1996   Ana        82 GP   49 goals   57 assists   106 points   1.29 PPG
1996-1997   Ana        69 GP   46 goals   58 assists   104 points   1.51 PPG
1997-1998   Ana        22 GP   20 goals   16 assists   36 points     1.64 PPG
1998-1999   Ana        82 GP   46 goals   72 assists   118 points   1.44 PPG
1999-2000   Ana        74 GP   47 goals   49 assists   96 points     1.30 PPG
2000-2001   Ana        66 GP   37 goals   38 assists   75 points     1.13 PPG
2001-2002   Ana        82 GP   38 goals   29 assists   67 points     0.82 PPG
2002-2003   Ana        82 GP   29 goals   65 assists   94 points     1.14 PPG
2003-2004   Col         51 GP   13 goals   30 assists   43 points     0.84 PPG
2005-2006   Nsh        82 GP   32 goals   55 assists   86 points     1.05 PPG
2006-2007   Nsh        82 GP   26 goals   56 assists   81 points     0.99 PPG
2007-2008   Stl          82 GP   18 goals   55 assists   73 points     0.90 PPG
2008-2009   Stl          11 GP   2 goals     14 assists   16 points     1.47 PPG
2009-2010   Stl          75 GP   20 goals   27 assists   47 points     0.63 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1996-1997    Ana        11 GP   7 goals     6 assists    14 points     1.24 PPG
1998-1999    Ana        3 GP     1 goal      3 assists     4 points       1.46 PPG
2002-2003    Ana        21 GP   7 goals     7 assists    14 points     0.68 PPG
2003-2004    Col         1 GP     0 goals     1 assist      1 point        1.28 PPG
2005-2006    Nsh        5 GP     2 goals     5 assists     7 points      1.39 PPG
2006-2007    Nsh        5 GP     0 goals     2 assists     2 points      0.45 PPG

Career - 1022 GP, 455 goals, 658 assists, 1111 points, 1.09 PPG
Career-Highs - 49 goals (95-96); 72 assists (98-99); 118 points (98-99); 1.51 PPG (96-97)
Avg. (15 seasons) - 68 GP, 30 goals, 44 assists, 74 points, 1.09 PPG
Peak Avg. (95-03) - 70 GP, 39 goals, 48 assists, 87 points, 1.25 PPG, 0 Cups

Playoff Career - 46 GP, 17 goals, 24 assists, 42 points, 0.91 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 7 goals (96-97); 7 assists (02-03); 14 points (96-97); 1.46 PPG (98-99)

Accolades - 2 Lady Byng Trophies
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
Never Won Stanley Cup

Think of Alexander Ovechkin now, and that was Paul Kariya in the late 1990s. He was a phenomenal skater, one of the fastest in the league. He routinely led the league in shots on goal, and was the best playmaking left-winger in the game, putting up three 100+ point seasons in his first five years. When The Hockey News compiled its list of the NHL's greatest players in 1998, it added a footnote about that era's young players and which ones might make future lists in, say, 25 years. It mentioned three locks: Eric Lindros, Peter Forsberg, and Paul Kariya. Two others were included in the "maybe" section: Martin Brodeur and (holding back laughter) Keith Tkachuk. And finally, a wild-card: Bryan Berard! No mention of Nicklas Lidstrom or Joe Sakic. Woops.

So what happened? Unlike with Lindros and Forsberg, you can't exactly lump Kariya into the "what-if" category, because he played in more than 1,000 career games and scored 1,111 career adjusted points. In the 2000s, Kariya played in all 82 regular season games five times, and scored 80+ points in three of those seasons. So it's not like he was injury-plagued or unproductive. But in only one of those seasons, 2002-2003, did Kariya feel relevant, and at no point was he the scintillating star of the late-1990s. Does anyone remember Kariya's term with the Nashville Predators? Maybe, but probably not too fondly, even though he had 167 points over two years and never missed a game.

If I had to pinpoint a turning point in Kariya's career, it would no doubt be in 1997-1998. Kariya was coming off his finest season, in which he'd finished runner-up to Dominik Hasek as league MVP and led the Mighty Ducks (yes, they were still Mighty back then) to the second round for the first time in the franchise's history. As was becoming a disturbing pattern in that era, Kariya held out for a larger contract, but when he returned, the Ducks were already far out of a playoff spot. Kariya was still playing well and appeared ready to help Team Canada attempt to win gold in Nagano, which would have been amazing since Kariya was of Japanese heritage. Then, this happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tid_86o9M-o

It's one of the cheapest shots I've seen, a headshot that should have gotten Gary Suter (an American, by the way) banned from the league, but instead got a piddling suspension from Brian Burke (also American...just saying). Kariya missed the rest of the season with a concussion, and even though he came back with his most productive season yet the following year, it seemed as if there was a certain caution creeping into Kariya's game.

Two semi subpar seasons followed, until a rejuvenated Kariya (now sans his longtime linemate Teemu Selanne) scored 94 points in 2002-2003, made the second all-star team, and helped the Ducks get to the Cup final despite scoring just 14 adjusted points in 21 playoff games (this was the run in which the Ducks were winning 1-0 in triple overtime thanks to a defensive style and the goaltending of J.S. Giguere). The Ducks ended up losing to New Jersey in a hard-fought seven games, but in Game 6, Kariya suffered another defining hit, this one a cheapshot from Scott Stevens (and that's hard for me to admit):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mKmYWy-gBU&NR=1

In today's era, that would be viewed as a predatory headshot and even a late hit...back then, it was viewed as perhaps marginally late, but ample punishment for Kariya admiring his pass. Kariya incredibly returned in that game and scored a beautiful slapshot goal against Martin Brodeur, and for a moment it looked like he might be headed for legendary status if the Ducks could somehow win. But they were shut down in Game 7, and Kariya's quest for the Cup came up short. Whether or not it had anything to do with the Stevens' hit, Kariya's game was never quite the same from that point on.

His teaming with Teemu Selanne in Colorado was a debacle, although Kariya's production wasn't nearly as laughably bad as Selanne's. But where Selanne returned to Anaheim, had his career rejuvenated and eventually won a Cup, in one of the great ironies, the Ducks' most iconic player moved on to Nashville and St. Louis and was largely forgotten or ignored by the hockey community, despite putting up a few 80+ point seasons.

Kariya hasn't officially retired, but it seems likely that his days are numbered. His peak was remarkably exciting and productive, which is why I have him ranked high. Yet there is a certain feeling that there could have been more...that Kariya could have moved higher up the goal-scoring charts. His numbers over a fifteen year career are certainly hall-of-fame worthy, especially for a left-winger. But when the 1990s ended, Kariya's days as a superstar went with them.