Kariya Is Anything but a Flop

Mighty Duck winger Paul Kariya had only one modest wish for himself when he skated onto the FleetCenter ice for the ceremonies preceding Saturday’s NHL All-Star game. “I just didn’t want to fall or trip on a wire,” he said.

Kariya was anything but a flop. Playing regularly with King center Wayne Gretzky and St. Louis winger Brett Hull, Kariya recorded a goal and an assist in his All-Star debut, and was a strong candidate for the most valuable player award.

However, there wasn’t a hint of disappointment on his face, when the MVP honor went to Boston Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque. Bourque scored the game-winning goal in the Eastern Conference’s 5-4 victory over Kariya and the Western Conference representatives.

“There’s nothing bad you can say about Ray Bourque,” said Kariya, who replaced injured Vancouver Canuck winger Pavel Bure in the Western Conference’s starting lineup. “He’s unbelievable and he’s been that way for so many years. . . . You’re not supposed to smile when you lose, but this was great.”

The first time he entered the locker room and surveyed the faces around him, Kariya felt out of place. “I was sitting next to Gretzky and Hull. I pinched myself,” he said. “Those are the guys I idolized when I was growing up. I learned a lot from those guys here and I think I can take that into my own game. Just being around those guys was something. Our team doesn’t have a lot of stars. It’s nice to be around those guys and see how they react.”

Kariya scored on a breakaway at 17:47 of the second period, off a fine lead pass from Toronto’s Mats Sundin. “It was the first time I scored one like that in my life,” he said. “He [goalie John Vanbiesbrouck] was sitting back in the net and he looked like he was covering the lower part of the ice. When they do that, I usually like to go up top.”

He flicked the shot over Vanbiesbrouck with the poise and sureness of a veteran.

“It was great to play with him and a lot of fun,” said Hull, whom Kariya set up for the first West goal at 5:33 of the second period. “Our line was pretty good. We could have buried a couple more chances, but that happens.”

Gretzky was also impressed. “I think he was nervous his first couple of shifts, but I thought he played really well,” said Gretzky, who was scoreless but remains the all-time points leader in All-Star history with 19 points in 15 games. “I remember my first All-Star game. I played with Gordie Howe and I was nervous.”

Asked if he could get used to making annual All-Star appearances, Kariya smiled broadly. “Yeah. I would love to,” he said. “At the start of the game I was a little apprehensive about what might happen, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. We were disappointed we lost. We’re all professionals and we like to win.”

He had only two regrets: That his line didn’t play better defensively and was on the ice for Bourque’s game-winner, and that he didn’t get to keep the puck he shot over Vanbiesbrouck for his goal. Fox TV, which placed computer chips inside the pucks to enhance the puck on TV, didn’t allow players to take any as souvenirs.

“I wanted to get the puck after the goal but they didn’t want to give up any of those $400 pucks,” he said.

Had the game remained tied, it would have gone to a shootout. That might have put Kariya in the same position he faced as a member of the Canadian Olympic team at Lillehammer in 1994. His inability to convert a shootout opportunity contributed to Canada losing the gold medal to Sweden--which won because Peter Forsberg did convert a shootout attempt. On Saturday, Forsberg--now with the Colorado Avalanche--and Kariya were teammates.

“This time Forsberg would have been shooting and I would have been sitting on the bench,” Kariya said.