"Play well, make peace, don't be rude, never fight"
Friday, December 12th, 1997.
Paul Kariya made an impressive return Friday night, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists as Anaheim beat Washington 6-4.
Teemu Selanne, skating with linemate Kariya for the first time this season, snapped a 4-4 tie when he scored his second goal of the evening with 43 seconds left in the game.
Then Kariya, who ended his contract holdout just a day earlier, added an empty-net goal with seven seconds remaining to complete the Mighty Ducks' comeback from an early 3-0 deficit.
Kariya got three standing ovations from the sellout crowd of 17,174 -- when he was introduced before the game, when he scored his first goal, and when he closed the scoring in the final seconds.
Dmitri Mironov had four assists for the Mighty Ducks. Peter Bondra and Sergei Gonchar each had a goal and an assist for the Capitals.
Selanne scored the go-ahead goal when his shot from the right point bounced high off goaltender Olaf Kolzig's right blocker, dropped behind him and slid into the net. It was Selanne's 26th goal, tops in the league.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first period, the Mighty Ducks fought their way back, with Kariya and Selanne leading the way.
Anaheim drew even at 4-4 when Kariya scored his first goal, at 14:38 of the second period. He took a pass on the right side from Selanne, then broke across the middle and fired a 20-footer that slid between Kolzig's pads.
Thursday, December 11th, 1997.
Paul Kariya signed a contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheimon Thursday and agreed to donate $2 million -- about a third of his pay for the season -- to charity.
The high-scoring wing, who skated with the team at practice, signed a two-year deal that will pay him $5.5 million for this season and $8.5 million for the next.
Minus the $2 million that he will give to charity this season, that leaves him with $3.5 million for the year.
"The salary will be pro-rated (for the 32 games Kariya has missed), and we agreed with Paul that the money, approximately $2 million, will be donated to Orange County charities," said general manager Jack Ferreira.
"I just felt it was time (to sign)," said Kariya, who had been practicing with the Canadian national team, preparing for the Olympics. "I was going to go to Europe with the national team next Monday, and I figured this (late negotiations) was our last kick at the can."
The length of the contract was the main sticking point, with Kariya wanting a short-term deal and Ducks management hoping to sign him for up to seven years. In that regard, Kariya got what he wanted.
Pierre Pagé, in his first season as coach, and Kariya's teammates were thrilled to see him back.
"He looked good (in practice), and the whole team was very happy to see him," Pagé said.
"When we saw him in the locker room, there wasn't really a need for words; we just had a team hug," said Teemu Selanne, who teamed with Kariya as one of the NHL's highest-scoring duos last season and has become a lone target for defenders during Kariya's absence.
"This is the greatest Christmas present ever," Selanne said. "You could feel the excitement with him on the ice during practice. It's like a new life for us now."
NHL - Anaheim Mighty Ducks -- The latest news on the Mighty Ducks.
ESPNET Anaheim Mighty Ducks' Clubhouse Articles and information on this page can be found at this link.
ESPNET SportsZone: Paul Kariya -- A brief history and biography on one of today's brightest stars.
9 - The Paul Kariya Page -- The biggest collection of Paul Kariya information I have ever seen. Topics range from his relationship with Teemu Selanne, to his career as one of the best player today, to his personal life.
The Original Mighty Ducks of Anaheim WWW Site -- The official Mighty Ducks of Anaheim website.
Kariya Poised to Grab Mr.Everything title from Gretzky -- One of the best articles I have ever read. Very well written, and a ton of information.
Kariya Comes Through in Superstar Style -- Once again, Kariya comes through for the Ducks in the 1997 NHL playoffs.
