Paul Kariya’s No. 9 To Finally Retire on Sunday
- Updated: October 17, 2018
(Former Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar, Hall of Famer Paul Kariya, will have his no. 9 retired on Sunday at Honda Center. Artwork courtesy of Anaheim Ducks.)
It is not a secret that Hall of Famer Paul Kariya has always been this longtime Mighty Ducks fan’s favorite Anaheim player. The amazingly talented left-winger is who first drew Rabbi Rabbs to watch Orange County’s expansion team when Kariya arrived for that franchise’s second season. As I wrote in Celebrating the Mightiest of Ducks:
“Kariya joined the roster, and my interest level improved dramatically, as watching him became so entertaining. That guy single-handedly won games for that team. I mean he received no help at all. It did not matter against which team Anaheim played, Kariya was usually the best skater on the ice. By far. He was a superstar trapped on a mediocre expansion team. And I became addicted to watching him.”
Kariya was Anaheim’s very first amateur draft pick and played his initial nine NHL seasons with the Mighty Ducks, the final seven of which as the team’s captain. The incredibly fast skater with tremendous finesse and agility was perhaps the greatest player that ever wore an Anaheim uniform. Kariya scored 300 goals and 669 points in his nine years in OC, including a 50-goal season in 1995-96.
Let us digest his sensational numbers for a moment. 669 points in only 606 games. Phenomenal. That is more than a point per game. In fact, had Kariya retired after his final game for the Mighty Ducks, his 1.103 would rank him no. 26 in the NHL’s all-time career points-per-game chart. Plus, during those 606 games, he scored a whopping 300 goals. That is almost a goal every two games, which when stretched over full 82-game seasons would amount to scoring 41 goals in each and every one of his nine seasons! Wow!
In addition, while playing for Anaheim, Kariya finished second in the balloting for the 1996-97 Hart Memorial Trophy awarded to the NHL’s MVP, was named the league’s top left-winger three times and no. 2 left-winger twice, finished third in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy presented to the league’s rookie of the year, and twice won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy which the NHL gives to its player that demonstrates the best sportsmanship.
Pretty remarkable résumé. Then there were his huge immortalized goals:
First, with the Mighty Ducks facing elimination, Kariya’s dramatic overtime goal on the road in game six against the then-Phoenix Coyotes that forced a game seven in the 1997 playoffs:
(Footage courtesy of Fox Sports.)
Kariya’s game-winner in triple overtime on the road against the then-Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings to win game one of their first-round series in 2003:
(Footage courtesy of TSN.)
And of course, perhaps most famous of all, his “Off the floor, on the board!” goal at home during game six against the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals:
(Footage courtesy of ABC Sports.)
Look closely. Kariya fired that game six goal on a slapshot while racing up the left wing, and then beating the Devils’ Martin Brodeur just above and to the far side of that goalie’s left shoulder, exactly how Kariya had scored his OT goal in 1997 that had beaten Nikolai Khabibulin.
Doing that once could be a lucky shot. Doing that twice proves amazing skills. Speaking of amazing skills, the following clip might be my all-time favorite Kariya highlight. He did not score the goal, but this play is a showcase of Kariya’s insane moves. Watch:
(Footage courtesy of Fox Sports.)
Kariya’s jersey retirement is long overdue. I believe Kariya’s no. 9 should have been the first number raised to Honda Center’s rafters, and that ceremony should have happened years ago before Teemu Selänne had even retired from the NHL in 2014. Thankfully, the day is finally approaching in which Kariya’s no. 9 will proudly hang from those rafters next to Selänne’s no. 8, and what a great day that will be, especially for those of us that have for years proudly worn our Kariya jerseys. I plan to proudly wear mine again on Sunday, the day no. 9 will finally find its place of honor high above the Honda Center fans. Until then, Let’s Go Mighty Ducks !!
(Mighty Ducks for life !! Photo courtesy of Rabbi Rabbs.)
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