Paul Kariya

Lore & Background

Kariya was selected fourth overall in the 1993 NHL entry draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He joined the team in 1995 and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. During his nine-year tenure with Anaheim, he formed an effective duo with Teemu Selänne, earned three NHL first All-Star team distinctions, and finished as runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1997. He won back-to-back Lady Byng trophies in 1996 and 1997. Serving as captain for seven seasons, he led the Mighty Ducks to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in seven games. After a single-season stint with the Avalanche, he signed with the Predators in August 2005, playing two seasons and setting a team record for points in a single season in 2005–06. He finished his career with three seasons for the St. Louis Blues.

In Their Own Story

The arena hummed with a nervous energy as the puck dropped. Kariya, wearing the iconic orange #9, glided effortlessly through the neutral zone, his stickhandling deceptively simple yet impossible to read. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a no-look pass that seemed to appear out of thin air, finding a teammate in the slot for an easy tap-in. The crowd erupted, knowing they had just witnessed magic from their hometown wizard.

Reader's Guide

Kariya's number 9 was retired by the Ducks on October 21, 2018. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in June 2017.

Did You Know?

• Kariya won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman at the University of Maine, becoming the first freshman to earn that honor.
• He won gold at the 1993 World Junior Championships and silver at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
• Kariya's father, Tetsuhiko, was a Japanese-Canadian born in a World War II internment camp in Greenwood, British Columbia.
• He was a dean's list student at the University of Maine.