Kariya Might Miss Canada’s Opener

The airplane carrying the Canadian Olympic hockey team to Japan will leave today from Vancouver without Mighty Duck left wing Paul Kariya, who is still feeling the effects of a concussion suffered last Sunday.

Kariya’s participation in Canada’s first game Friday against one of the qualifying teams from Pool B is in jeopardy.

“The last couple of days I’ve been feeling better, but I still have a headache,” Kariya said. “I’ll leave on the first day I feel clear-headed. Hopefully, it will be the middle of the week.”

Canada’s General Manager, Bob Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers, doesn’t have to submit his final roster until an hour before the first game.

“The next couple of days are going to tell us if [Kariya is] turning the corner on this thing or not,” said Dr. Craig Milhouse, the Ducks’ team physician.

Milhouse would prefer Kariya be without any dizziness for seven days before playing, and he’s not yet cleared him to fly to Japan. Kariya hopes to play after four days without symptoms.

Either way, Kariya said he is not planning to leave for Nagano until the foggy feeling begins to lift. Saturday, he rode a stationary bicycle for the first time since Tuesday and reported dizzy spells. The next step could be skating on his own in the next few days.

This is Kariya’s fourth concussion and his second in a little more than a year. He suffered his last concussion Nov. 13, 1996, when he was elbowed in the head by Toronto’s Mathieu Schneider.

Chicago’s Gary Suter cross-checked Kariya in the jaw after Kariya scored his second goal of the game in last Sunday’s 4-3 overtime victory.