One of Those Things

“Where’s Paul?”

Two teenage boys watching the Mighty Ducks go through their morning skate in the Edmonton Coliseum desperately wanted to know the status of perhaps the NHL’s best player.

Good question, one that quickly became the theme of the Ducks’ training camp. Without Paul Kariya, the Ducks skated through September one all-star short of their three all-star load.

Guy Hebert?

Present and in uniform.

Teemu Selanne?

Present and in uniform.

But Kariya cooled his jets at home in Vancouver, awaiting the Ducks to offer him a new contract that could pay him more than $7 million per season.

Fans hated missing Kariya. So did the Ducks, but none more so than Selanne, who is Kariya’s linemate, roommate on the road and frequent lunch partner.

They teamed for 95 goals and 208 points last season, their first full year together. Selanne, acquired from Winnipeg on Feb. 7, 1996, was second in the NHL with 51 goals and 109 points and Kariya was third with 44 goals and 99 points.

Sure, there are other terrific one-two punches around the league, including Eric Lindros and John LeClair in Philadelphia, Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh and Pavel Bure and Mark Messier in Vancouver.

Those pairs spent training camp jelling, getting their timing together, working on clicking as a team, striking fear into opponents even in exhibition games.

Selanne had to go it alone.

“I understand his situation,” Selanne said of Kariya. “It’s a business decision. The bottom line from his point of view is to find a deal that’s good for him. He has to sign a deal that makes him comfortable and happy.”

Selanne spoke to Kariya by telephone several times a week during camp, and it was difficult to tell who was receiving most of the moral support.

“He’s practicing on his own and he’s staying in good shape, but it’s still different from skating with the team--totally different,” Selanne said. “When you’re in good shape, of course, it’s easier to come back.”

There were two questions as camp progressed, and neither was associated with Kariya’s renowned work ethic or his ability to fit into the mix once he returned.

First, when would Kariya re-sign with the Ducks and for how much?

Second, would he miss regular-season games?

Both were hot topics of discussion.

Around the Pond, it was common knowledge that Kariya’s contract would set the tone for other restricted free agents such as Sergei Fedorov of Detroit and Mike Modano of Dallas, who also were unsigned and not in camp. And it also would make it more lucrative for players whose contracts expired down the road.

Selanne made it clear throughout the month that he sided with Kariya. There was more at stake than simply one player’s contract, he often said.

If Kariya could punch through with a contract approaching $10 million per season, all NHL players would benefit.

“He’s got to be strong because he’s going to help a lot of other guys [receive higher offers in the future] with his salary,” said Selanne, who has three seasons remaining on a five-year, $15 million contract he signed in 1995 when he was with the Winnipeg Jets.

However, Selanne’s support for Kariya comes with the knowledge that the Ducks are light years away from being the same playoff contender without the two-time Lady Byng award-winning left winger.

After all, Selanne has experienced life as a Duck without Kariya and knows it’s no fun.

Last season, with Kariya sidelined 11 games because of an abdominal injury, the Ducks stumbled out of the gate. They were 1-8-2 by Nov. 1 and it took a dramatic hot streak that included a 13-3-7 record in the season’s final 23 games to secure their first winning season and playoff berth. By season’s end, the Ducks were 1-10-2 without Kariya, who also missed two games in November because of a concussion.

“We all remember the start last season,” Selanne said. “We can’t afford to do that again. Hopefully, it won’t be like that again.”

There figured to be a different look to the top line to start 1997-98. Selanne and center Steve Rucchin will play together, as in the past, but Coach Pierre Page didn’t settle on a full-time replacement for Kariya.

Not that anyone on the roster could actually replace Kariya, but someone had to play the position.

Rookies Antti Aalto, Matt Cullen and Espen Knutsen spent the exhibition season on the wing opposite Selanne, and the Ducks found mixed results. Knutsen, who played center throughout his career in Norway and Sweden, fared best of all and was a good bet to open the season on the top line.

As the days drew short until the Ducks’ departure for Japan and season-opening games against the Vancouver Canucks, Selanne remained hopeful Kariya’s new contract would be completed.

“It would be nice to start with him one of these years,” Selanne said. “Paul was hurt last year and now this thing. It’s so much easier when you start the season together, when you’re both in shape and can get used to each other. It’s going to take him two or three games to get his game shape back.

“If we could start the first games of the season playing together, it would be a huge advantage. It makes it easier for other teams to play against us if Paul is not here.”