Sad History, but Bright NHL Future

He doesn’t discuss it. Neither do his parents, or grandparents. Paul Kariya, the Mighty Duck superstar of tomorrow, is proudly playing Olympic hockey, though, on behalf of a country that once imprisoned his ancestors.

Left wing of the undefeated Canadian team that will meet the United States Thursday night, Kariya, 19, is the son of a British mother and a Japanese-Canadian father. Tetsuhiko Kariya, who is T.K. to his friends, was born in a World War II internment camp in Western Canada, where his parents were confined while North Americans and Japanese were at war.

Paul himself knew nothing of this until a couple of years ago when government officials made long overdue restitution to citizens who were interned, including financial redress and a formal apology. He overheard his grandparents mentioning it and became curious. But it is a delicate topic for Paul because he does not wish to cause his family any undue embarrassment.

Such a long and winding road the family has traveled through Canada, however. T.K. Kariya ultimately represented his country on a national rugby team, and now here is Paul, wearing the maple leaf proudly in the Olympics.

“Yeah, I thought of that,” he says, gently.

A student at the University of Maine, Kariya must decide whether to continue his studies beyond the Olympics or turn pro with the Ducks, who in 1993 made him the organization’s original first-round draft choice. He is a swift, splendid player, short on muscle but long on hustle and talent, who, although not a scoring factor in Tuesday night’s 3-1 victory over France, began his Olympics two days earlier with three deft assists in a 7-2 rout of Italy.

Kariya’s linemates are already professionals--center Petr Nedved and right wing Chris Kontos.

“Get this,” Kariya says, chuckling. “When Vancouver made Petr their No. 1 pick a few years ago, I was the runner who took the slip of paper up to the podium to announce the pick. Me, I was the messenger. We got a good laugh out of that the other day.”

They are having a good time so far at the Winter Games, enjoying one another’s company and planning to attend a skiing event today on a day off from Olympic play. On the ice, Kariya, Nedved and Kontos have proven so compatible that it has been suggested in the Canadian press that the Mighty Ducks could do worse than sign the whole line.

Vancouver would need to be compensated for Nedved, who has vowed not to play for the Canucks any longer after a number of conflicts. Kontos, who once had a hot playoff series for the Kings, is an unrestricted free agent who reached an impasse with Tampa Bay, infuriated by the amount he was offered by the Lightning after having been their second-leading scorer.

Kariya isn’t ready to commit himself on his future, much less speculate on what his teammates will or should do.

“I’m sure enjoying playing with these guys,” Kariya said. “We’ve been playing together off and on for a while and on a regular basis for about a month now. They’re both big guys who see the ice real well. They can really move the puck.”

Nobody has ever called Kariya a big guy. He stands 5 feet 10 and goes 165 pounds with his skates off.

But nobody ever called Wayne Gretzky a big guy, either.

Dany Dube, whose title is associate coach of the Canadian team here but who acts more as Tom Renney’s co-coach, says of Kariya: “Oh, is Anaheim in for a treat. He won’t just be in the NHL. He’ll be big in the NHL.

“First thing is, he’s got amazing speed. Just amazing. He’s got that, you know, evasive quality that you just don’t find anywhere. On top of that, he’s so smart, so--I don’t know--so rational for someone his age. What can I tell you? Nothing he might do would surprise me. You’re talking here about someone who could be a millionaire tomorrow if he wants to be, but he’s such a common man, such a regular person, that he’s not in a hurry anywhere but on the ice.”

Paul has patience. He got some of that from members of his family, from people who have been through a lot. He has their full support, even though none made the trip, just as he and the Kariya family now have all of Canada behind it.

Beyond that?

“I haven’t decided a thing,” Paul says.

Anything can happen, in hockey and elsewhere.