Kariya Could Miss Ducks’ First Steps

Will he or won’t he?

Paul Kariya eventually will be in the Mighty Duck lineup--if not tonight in the season opener against the Dallas Stars, then probably Tuesday against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Ducks’ motto for training camp was “Take the next step.” But Kariya’s fitness and the Ducks’ hopes to join the NHL’s elite are forever entwined.

Any hopes for improvement on last season’s 35 victories and sixth-place finish in the Western Conference rest on Kariya’s shoulders.

Kariya’s sore left hip has never been considered serious enough to keep him off the ice, but the Ducks have been cautious about returning their often-injured left wing to action too quickly.

A final decision on Kariya’s availability will be made after this morning’s skate at Reunion Arena.

“It’s just a wait-and-see thing,” Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “Paul does not make the final decision.”

Kariya had the answers down pat after Friday’s practice. He didn’t wait to be asked about his hip.

“Yes, it is better. Yes, I’m closer. No, I won’t know until [today] whether I can play,” he said, smiling.

Added Hartsburg: “We have 82 games, so you want to make sure a guy is 100%. I think that is the wise thing at this time of the year.

“It doesn’t matter who we have in the lineup, we expect to win every game. If we go without Paul and Kevin [Haller, a defenseman who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery], we shouldn’t miss a beat. You can’t use it as an excuse. If you’re not prepared, it shows what kind of character you have.

“We were 5-2 without Teemu [Selanne] last season. I think that showed our character.”

This is Kariya’s sixth NHL season and, if he can’t play tonight, it will mark the third time in his career he has been unavailable for the season opener.

In 1996-97, he missed the first 11 games because of a lower abdominal strain. The Ducks roared down the stretch to finish fourth in the conference, however. They also had a seven-game playoff victory over Phoenix in the first round before being swept in the second by the eventual champion Detroit Red Wings.

The next season, Kariya was sidelined by a contract dispute that stretched to 32 games. He missed the final 28 games because of a concussion. The Ducks slumped to a franchise-low 26 victories, finishing out of the playoff picture.

Last April, Kariya broke his right foot after blocking a shot in Game 3 of the Ducks’ playoff series loss to the Red Wings. He says he injured his hip by overdoing it in the weight room last summer.

The Ducks have improved their depth and skill by adding defensemen Niclas Havelid and Oleg Tverdovsky and forwards Ted Donato and Ladislav Kohn.

But Kariya, Selanne and goaltender Guy Hebert form the heart and soul of the franchise. Despite Hartsburg’s statements to the contrary, the Ducks are not at their best if any one of the three isn’t at full strength.

To be sure, the Ducks must be at peak efficiency to contend with the defending champion Stars tonight. The Ducks get a break in that the Stars raised their championship banner before Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If the Ducks ever hope to catch the Stars flat, tonight is probably the night.

Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this story.

MIGHTY DUCKS at DALLAS

5 p.m.

Channel 9

KOGO (600)