published on May 09, 2024 in gacor

LeBrun: Paul Kariya welcomes hockey back into his life with Hall of Fame induction

Welcome back.

You were missed.

Perhaps the timing was perfect, or the honour itself re-kindling a passion lost, but Paul Kariya’s Hockey Hall of Fame induction this year has served an additional purpose that has made many happy: Kariya’s re-introduction to the hockey world.

“This has been so good for him,” Teemu Selanne told The Athletic on Wednesday. “It’s almost been like therapy for him. I’m just so happy for him. So, so happy.’’

When his career ended prematurely by concussions seven years ago, Kariya, 43, disappeared from the hockey scene, and who can blame him, as he focused on getting healthy and living the rest of his life to its fullest away from the rink.

But the call from the Hall brought him back to the game he loved so dearly, and to the many people whose paths he crossed along the way.

“One of the nicest things since getting the call from the Hall of Fame in June was just hearing from so many friends and teammates and coaches and general managers and media people, just people around the league reaching out. That’s meant a lot,” Kariya told The Athletic.

Not nearly as much as it’s meant to the rest of the hockey world to have Kariya back in the fold.

The interview

A welcome back moment, undeniably, was his sitdown interview with journalist Michael Farber, a wonderfully produced piece by Matt Dunn on TSN which aired in late September.

Kariya chuckles as he recounts how many times over the years TSN, through either Farber or Steve Dryden, TSN’s Managing Editor for Hockey, reached out trying to convince him to talk.

“They’ve been asking basically for seven years to come out and do a piece,” Kariya said. “My answer to them would be, `I don’t think people are interested.’ It was a like a thank you but no thank you for seven years.’’

The Hall of Fame announcement in June made it non-negotiable.

“I got a call from Michael after the Hall of Fame announcement and he said, `I will be at your home Aug. 18. I’ll see you then.’ And click,” laughs Kariya. “There was not a question there. That’s how it came about.’’

Apprehensive perhaps, after all, even in his best days as a superstar hockey player, Kariya was a private person. He never sought the spotlight. He just wanted to play the game he loved.

The added layer of suffering six concussions and having his career end because of it, well, he certainly needed time to recover both physically and mentally before re-surfacing.

The TSN piece was a beautiful way to come back on the scene, his love for surfing, his new passion, a vivid way to tell people that he’s fine and enjoying life.

“The guys I’m close to were joking about my surfing footage and that I should have put a shirt on,’’ Kariya said. “I was very happy with the piece. I thought it was very well-done. The piece brought along another long list of texts and phone calls from people I hadn’t heard from in a while. Everyone seemed to enjoy the piece.’’

Calling it quits

Kariya announced his retirement on June 28, 2011, more than a year after playing his last game and recovering from another concussion. I remember the date vividly because I got a call that day while arriving at the hospital with my pregnant wife as she was about to give birth to our twins.

“Pierre, it’s Paul Kariya, I just want to call to say I announced my retirement today and I wanted to thank you for your coverage over the years,’’ Kariya said over the phone that day.

As politely as I could possibly sound, I had to keep the phone call short as my wife got ready to give birth.

Kariya laughed when I reminded him of that. He made a point that day of calling a few media people to thank them. Who else does that?

It’s the kind of thing the late Don Baizley would have certainly approved of. The long-time agent, who died of cancer in June 2013, was a gentleman with immense integrity in a ruthless industry and has been nominated for the Hockey Hall of Fame himself although hasn’t got the nod yet. Still, just being nominated as an agent speaks to the way people valued his impact on the game.

He represented both Kariya and Selanne, among other players, and you can just imagine how thrilled he’d be of his two clients going into the Hall of Fame together.

“Don was like a second father to me,” Kariya said. “There’s not many days that go by that I don’t think of him, especially if I’m in a situation where I’m not sure how to handle it, I always think, `What would Don say? What would he advise in this situation?’ He had such a huge impact on me, more as a person than a hockey player. If you can conduct yourself as a human being the way Don Baizley did, you’re doing a lot of right things. Teemu and I both miss him a lot. He’ll be in our thoughts (induction night) for sure.’’

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Going in with Teemu

Having the former Anaheim Ducks linemates go in together in this year’s class is beyond perfect.

“First of all, it’s unbelievable just to go into the Hall, but for sure going in with Paul, it’s even more special,” Selanne said. “We just had a great chemistry together. You don’t find that kind of chemistry very often between two players. Great memories.’’

Selanne was so excited when he found out he said he phoned Kariya to let him know before the Hall even called his pal.

“I think he was surfing at the time so I left a message,” laughed Selanne. “I was yelling, `We’re going in together! We’re going in together!’ I don’t think he understood anything I said on that message.’’

No, but Kariya certainly understood Selanne on the ice.

“Playing with Teemu was a magical experience,” Kariya said. “Instantly from the very first practice together we knew what the other guy wanted to do or was thinking. It was like having a twin on the ice. I learned so much from Teemu as a player. I was never a goal-scorer growing up or even when I was drafted. I learned so much about how to score from him, little things that he did on breakaways to open up the five-hole, I would really study him. On and off the ice he made such a huge impact on me.’’

The magic between the duo made the game within the game that much more enjoyable, Kariya said.

“You know, hockey is a team game, but within that team game, it’s a 2-on-1 game,” he said. “It’s about creating 2-on-1 opportunities. Teemu and I loved to play that give-and-go type of hockey. I always enjoyed it.’’

According to Elias Sports, the duo led the NHL from 1995-96 through 2000-01 for a pair of teammates assisting on each other’s goals with 182 (95 goals by Kariya, 87 goals by Selanne), John LeClair and Eric Lindros were next during that span at 180.

What they didn’t do together was win a Stanley Cup. Kariya came one win short in 2003 with the Ducks. He was playing in Nashville in 2007 when his pal Teemu won his Cup with Anaheim.

“Paul was one of the first guys who sent me a text message after the game that night,’’ Selanne said. “He was so happy for me… In a perfect world, we would have won the Cup together. But going into the Hall together, that is unbelievable.’’

(Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)

The concussions

Kariya was famously laid out in that 2003 Cup final by Scott Stevens — and came back to play in that game, which reminds us all too painfully how far the game has come on the head injury front.

“Those were the rules at the time and they were horrible,” Eric Lindros told The Athletic. “The rules were the rules at that time. You focus on what can be done now and let’s move forward. I’ve talked to Paul a fair bit in the last six months after he got into the Hall of Fame. I called him up to congratulate him. We talked about what we can do moving forward, let’s not be bitter, but what can we do moving forward to improve this.’’

Lindros has been unrelenting in his efforts to raise awareness on concussions in the fields of research and prevention. That Lindros and Kariya were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in back-to-back years carries its own symmetry, to be sure, given their concussion-affected careers.

“I’m huge fan of his as a player but also as a person,” Kariya said of Lindros. “His family was very supportive of me when I was out six months with a concussion. They gave me a lot of help in terms of sharing what worked with Eric and sharing the ways that helped Eric recover. I’ll always be thankful to the Lindros family for that. Eric was one of the first people who called when I got into the Hall of Fame. It was really special.’’

Likewise, Kariya was thrilled a year ago when Lindros finally got the call.

“He was an unbelievable, fantastic player and it was long overdue that he got into the Hall of Fame. I was super happy for him,” Kariya said. “My whole family was. I think my mom was happier that Eric got in than when I got in.’’

Like Lindros, Kariya prefers to look ahead and not dwell on what the concussions did to his career.

“Where we’re at today in the game is way better off than where we were when I ended my career,” Kariya said. “There’s more awareness about concussions, there’s more knowledge. You know, hopefully they find a helmet or a mouthpiece that makes it concussion-proof, that science hopefully finds a cure to that. But that’s why at this stage of the game, to do anything to prevent concussions, to take these targeted head shots out of the game, you have to do everything you can as a league and a game, and even as a society.’’

Was he furious when it was happening to him? Of course. But he doesn’t want to be defined by it so he’s moved on.

“Going back to my first concussion in ’97, when I came to and saw the video, anger isn’t a strong enough word to describe what I saw,” Kariya said. “With every concussion, when you wake up in a hospital and you don’t know who you are, where you are and what happened, it’s not a good place to be. But that’s in the past now completely. The only time I think about those concussions or talk about those hits is when I’m asked by the media. It’s not like I sit around at home thinking about it on a daily basis. But 15 years in the NHL and being able to represent my country throughout my career, those are the memories and experiences that I think about.’’

Paul Kariya, the superstar

Indeed, let’s remember the player that he was. Only 62 players in NHL history have been named to a minimum of five first or second all-star teams and Kariya is one of them.

“The way he skated and the way he played, he was one of the most dominating players of that time and don’t forget it was the clutch and grab era,” fellow Hall of Famer Joe Sakic said. “He was so explosive during that time, he found a way to do it all during that era.’’

Sakic played with Kariya for one season in Colorado and calls him a “great friend.’’

“On the ice, what a competitor,” Sakic added. “He was a tough guy to play against, he was so fast. But what set him apart from a lot of players was his compete. The way he prepared. He never took a game off. You knew what you were getting every time you played against Paul Kariya. He was very consistent. But boy, could he skate and shoot that puck.’’

Matt Cullen broke into the NHL with Anaheim in 1997-98 and played his first six seasons with Kariya’s Ducks.

“I was lucky to be there when he was in his prime in Anaheim,” Cullen said. “He was just so fun to watch. So electric on the ice. Creative. He could do it all. Had the great shot, unbelievable speed and quickness and agility.’’

They were road roomies for five years, a memory that brings a wide smile to Cullen’s face.

“It was pretty cool. He had such a huge influence on me and such a big part of me being able to play this long because I learned from somebody who was so committed to the game,’’ he said.

Cullen was struck by how Kariya would take care of his body. It was stuff players weren’t doing yet at that time.

“In all my years, I don’t know that I’ve ever played with anybody that was more committed, that did more to make sure he was ready each night,” Cullen said. “I think he was ahead of his time. The way he ate, his diet, every time we’d get into a visiting city we’d go to the gym; so for a 20-year-old kid coming into the league, to see that, that’s your baseline, it’s pretty unbelievable to see it. I learned from the most professional player that played.’’

Lindros doesn’t think of the concussions, he thinks of Kariya’s greatness.

“You want to talk about skill and being able to see the passing lanes, he could play with players that didn’t skate that well because he could maneuver so well to get them the puck,” Lindros said. “He could dish. And could shoot. And he wasn’t afraid. To me, when I see him getting into the Hall, I think about the player that he was when he was healthy.’’

That skill set of Kariya’s would have been awfully exciting to see in the 2017 version of the NHL which is all about speed and skill.

“It would be so fun to see him play in today’s game,’’ Cullen said. “It was fun to watch him then when there was so much hooking and holding, to see him play without having to deal with that and be able to free-wheel, he was suited for this game today, he’s the epitome of what this game now is about.’’

Kariya chuckles at the thought of what it was like to play through the dead puck era with defencemen draped all over him.

“The defencemen that couldn’t skate that well would use that Gordie Howe tape, that double-sided stuff, and I would have black marks all over my jersey,’’ he said with a laugh.

“In that respect, being able to skate freely, Teemu and I would have thrived in today’s environment. But the flip side, athletes are better, everyone skates well now… The game is so much faster. The players are better athletes. Everyone is so better trained. When I started, almost nobody trained in the summer, golf was your summer training. So much has changed in that respect.’’

The biggest change for Kariya is the goaltending, the athleticism and the size of the goalies today.

“Sometimes when you watch the game now you wonder where is the spot to score. The goalies are so good.’’

Kariya seems worried he’d have trouble scoring on today’s goalies. I’ve got a feeling he would have been alright.

“Oh my God, can you imagine, exactly,’’ Sakic said of imagining’s Kariya’s speed and skill in today’s NHL.

(Chris Cole/ALLSPORT)

Team Canada

While Kariya points to Anaheim’s Cup final run of 2003 as his NHL career highlight, there’s no hesitation what stood out as his overall career moment.

“The first Olympics, still to this day, was the highlight of my hockey career,” Kariya said of the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

“My father represented Canada as a rugby player and he always told me that that was the highest honour as an athlete, to represent your country. Obviously the Olympics is the pinnacle of that.’’

Kariya says he remembers like it was yesterday walking into the opening ceremonies with “speed skaters and figure skaters.’’

“It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “And even though we didn’t end up winning the gold, for where our team was ranked going into the tournament — I think we were ranked eighth or ninth — it was almost a bigger achievement to win the silver there than it was winning gold in 2002 where we were probably expected to win.’’

Just a few months later in Italy, Kariya helped lead Canada to gold at the world championships, their first world title since 1961.

The pressure was on big time at Salt Lake City in 2002 as Kariya and Sakic were instrumental in helping Canada snap its 50-year gold medal drought in men’s hockey.

“It was such a huge accomplishment for us to come through and win gold,’’ Kariya said.

Post-retirement

Yes, Kariya needed time away from the game for obvious reasons but truth be told, hockey was never going to appeal to him post-playing career regardless of his concussions.

“I’m surprised that people who know me well would be surprised that I would get away from the game when I was done playing,” Kariya said. “I played with guys at the end of their careers who are angling to become a coach or are learning about it, or showed interesting in scouting or management. For me, my love was for playing the game. That was my true passion in life, was to play hockey. It’s a totally different skill set to become a coach. I never saw myself doing that. When I retired from the game, it wasn’t from anger or malice that I was getting away from the game, especially as time has gone on.’’

No, in fact, as time passed, he’s able to appreciate how fortunate he was.

“If you would have told me when I got drafted that I would have played 15 years in the NHL, I would have taken that any day of the week,” he said. “That’s fantastic. That’s a really long career by any measure. I’m grateful for that. Obviously I would have liked to play longer, I still wish I could be playing now. If I’m looking back at my career, I look back at all the great memories that I had, not the concussions that I had.’’

(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Ballroom dancing, you say?

Surfing is his passion now but he tries to stay active in many ways. And this one may surprise you.

As part of his concussion rehab in 2011, his doctor at the time suggested playing ping-pong or taking up ballroom dancing as a healthy exercise for the brain.

“I kind of already knew how to play ping-pong so (partner) Valerie (Dawson) and I chose ballroom dancing, for two years we took lessons,’’ Kariya said. “It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done athletically in my life.’’

Come on, seriously?

“Yes,” responded Kariya. “I don’t know if you watch Dancing With The Stars, but regardless if it’s a football player or whatever kind of athlete that’s on, it’s just so hard to do, especially for someone like me who has two left feet and has no musicality in any orifice in his body. It was really difficult.’’

To this day, Kariya and Dawson still enjoy going for a spin.

“When Dancing With The Stars comes on Monday nights, we’ll work on our Cha-cha-cha or salsa or whatever afterwards. It’s been fun.’’

All the while, Kariya has spent much of his time feeding his brain.

“With my concussion history, I’m continually trying to learn new things,” Kariya said. “I’m learning Japanese and Spanish right now, to keep my brain going. When you talk about concussions and how to recover from them and try to avoid things like dementia, learning languages is a great way to do it.’’

Math puzzles, books, all kinds of learning, bring it on.

“For the rest of my life, I’ll be cognizant of trying to keep learning new things to keep my brain active,” he said.

The best news of all, is how he feels now.

“I feel fantastic,” Kariya said. “I don’t have any lingering effects from the concussions.’’

The Hall beckons

On Monday night, Kariya officially re-connects with his hockey life, his place in the game cemented forever with a plaque going up in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Full circle.

“I’m pretty proud of him, so well-deserving to get into the Hall of Fame,’’ said Sakic, who plans to attend.

“I don’t know that I can think of a more deserving person to go into the Hall of Fame,” Cullen said. “What he put into the game, and what he gave to the game, I mean, fans will never forget watching Paul Kariya.’’

(Photo credit: Glenn Cratty/Allsport)

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