Thread: Paul Kariya retires

TSN.ca Staff (6/29/11)

Paul Kariya has decided to retire after 15 seasons in the NHL.

Kariya sat out the entire 2010-11 season recovering from post-concussion systems. He last suited up for the St. Louis Blues in 2009-10.

Kariya finishes his career with 402 goals and 587 assists in 989 games. Kariya spent time with the Blues, Predators, Avalanche after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Mighty Ducks.

He was selected by the Mighty Ducks with the fourth pick overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Kariya had intended to return to the ice next season but his doctors advised him against it due to his concussion history.

Kariya Announces His Retirement After 15 Seasons in NHL

I know he was primarily a Duck and say what you want, but I've always been a big fan and he was one of the most skilled little guys who could dominate a game made predominantly for big men. Not to mention that he was also a gamer. That moment in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals where he came back to life to score a pivotal goal after Scott Stevens "killed" him still gives me the chills:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8up-tkxZ4r8"]YouTube - ‪Scott Stevens hit on Paul Kariya‬‏[/nomedia]

Warning: the end of the video blares some loud music to close.

Wow, exactly one-point-a-game? Amazing.

I've always liked him too. I have a signed puck by him... Mighty Duck logo and all.

I have a friend who gave him a check up when he was a rookie. He said the dude, with his shirt off, looked as ripped as Bruce Lee.

I will admit that I'm a little sad to see him hang up the skates. He was one of my favorites when i was a kid.

hope he has a normal life with no issues from the concussions.

Former NHL player Paul Kariya announces retirement after post-concussion symptoms - ESPN

One of the defining moments of Kariya's career came during the 2003 Stanley Cup finals. In Game 6 in Anaheim, Kariya laid motionless on the ice for several minutes after a crushing open-ice hit by New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens.

But Kariya returned later in the game and scored the winning goal that forced a Game 7.

Highly skilled and a stickler for details big and small when it came to preparation, Kariya became a cautionary tale even before the NHL had turned its attention to keeping its best players safe. Kariya suffered his first concussion in 1996 and another in 1998.

Mark Lovell, one of the continent's top concussion doctors and a man familiar with NHL players, told Kariya last season that the forward suffered brain damage and wasn't able to play.

"He said to me, 'No one in my profession would clear you to play this season,' " Kariya recalled.

Lovell also told Kariya that if it had been up to him, he would have suggested Kariya retire right then and there.

"I was shocked," Kariya said.

Dude, brain damage...brain damage.

This guy was a class act and also one of my favorite players growing up. In my first ever hockey league at Disney Ice when I was a kid, he and Selanne were signing autographs after their practice and I remember him asking me questions about hockey and chitchatting with my pops. Even though I hate the Ducks, Kariya is a player I'll always respect.

Damn, the words "brain damage" is scary. Hope he lives a normal life. His career changed after the Suter hit and I'm sure if it was today, he wouldn't be allowed back after the Stevens hit.

I have to say that I was not a very big fan of Kariya. I will admit that he was a highly skilled little man that always gave his all, and I am sad to see him leave on such terrible terms. I wish he was still skaing and scoring and pissing me off. Well, kinda. . .

Originally Posted by NastiMarvasti

Damn, the words "brain damage" is scary. Hope he lives a normal life. His career changed after the Suter hit and I'm sure if it was today, he wouldn't be allowed back after the Stevens hit.

Yeah...pretty sure after that Stevens hit there may have been a moment or two where he could have been declared legally dead. Was AMAZED when he came back in that game and won it for them, thank god we got the last laugh. Seemed like a really nice guy and I wish him good health.

Not to hijack, but man, Stevens was a pure predator on the ice. I don't think Kariya watched film because, from what I recall(from watching it a gazillion times) that was pretty much the same exact hit in the same spot on the ice where Stevens got Lindros. In today's NHL I am sure Stevens would be rendered toothless, but if you look at his hits they are about as technically clean as it gets. No leaving his feet, elbows down, no follow-thru lift-and-drive...he was just a monster.