Kariya Says No to Canada for Now

Unsigned free agent Paul Kariya has no immediate plans to join Team Canada to stay in shape and prepare for the Nagano Olympics in February, his agent said Tuesday.

“Paul has made it clear he wants to play in the Olympics and he’ll do what he has to do to get ready, but he’s not with [Team Canada] now,” said Don Baizley, Kariya’s Winnipeg-based agent. “The team is in Europe for two to three weeks, so he’s not going to join them in that time frame.”

Baizley refused to comment on talks with Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira and team president Tony Tavares.

“If the process is going to have a chance to succeed, it’s got to be done in private,” he said.

Meanwhile, Coach Pierre Page continued his plea for more negotiations, but acknowledged the difficulty of breaking the stalemate.

“You’ve got to change your frame of mind,” Page said. “When did this problem start? How did it start? You shouldn’t fight with a guy like Paul Kariya. He shouldn’t want to fight with Walt Disney. If you have a great relationship with [Disney chairman Michael] Eisner why would you want to mess it up?

“It’s wrong for him [to be unsigned and not playing]. It’s wrong for his teammates. It’s wrong for the fans. It’s wrong for the sponsors.

“What’s right in this case? Is it right for Paul to make more than anybody in the game after only three years in the league? No. Is it right for the Mighty Ducks to pay him less than he’s worth? No.”

Added captain Teemu Selanne, who speaks to Kariya every other day on the telephone: “Paul wants to get what he deserves [financially]. It doesn’t matter whether it’s $2 million or $10 million. There are only two or three players at the same level as Paul.”