League Reinstates Kariya in Time for Friday Opener

A wave of relief spread over the Ducks when the NHL announced Wednesday that captain Paul Kariya would not be suspended for further games as a result of a slashing incident in a Sept. 29 exhibition against the Minnesota Wild.

So the Ducks will have two-thirds of their top line available when they open their eighth season Friday against the Wild at the Arrowhead Pond.

Kariya was suspended for only last Saturday’s exhibition against the Phoenix Coyotes, a game he probably wouldn’t have played anyway as Coach Craig Hartsburg gave several young players another look before sending them to the minors.

“Obviously, we were concerned,” Hartsburg said. “This is very good news for us.”

The Ducks will be without center Steve Rucchin, who suffered a broken left hand in a Sept. 22 exhibition against the Kings. Rucchin has resumed light skating on his own and could participate in workouts with teammates next week.

Hartsburg said German Titov would replace Rucchin on the top line for Friday’s game. Antti Aalto will take Titov’s spot between Mike Leclerc and Marty McInnis on the second line.

Kariya continued to plead guilty for slashing Minnesota’s Aaron Gavey toward the end of the Wild’s 3-1 victory. Kariya says Gavey kicked his legs out from under him as he skated toward the bench, prompting a slash to Gavey’s legs.

“It was a two-minute penalty,” Kariya said. “It was a retaliatory slash. This all went further than it should have.”

When news of the incident reached Switzerland, where former Duck defenseman Fredrik Olausson is playing for a club team, the story had been distorted.

“Freddie said he heard I gave the guy a two-hander over the head,” Kariya said. “He heard I had lost it.”

Brian Murphy, one of the referees working the game, gave Kariya a five-minute slashing major and a match penalty for a deliberate attempt to injure Gavey. The league reviewed accounts of the incident Saturday and suspended Kariya. After a hearing Tuesday, the league decided a one-game suspension was sufficient.

“I knew it wouldn’t be more,” right wing Teemu Selanne said. “I would have put the Mafia on those guys [league officials].”

He was joking, of course.

“This was something we didn’t need,” goalie Guy Hebert said of the possibility of starting the season without Kariya.

“It’s great that I’m starting the season--that’s the bottom line,” said Kariya, who missed last season’s opener because of a hip injury, was out 32 games to start 1997-98 because of a contract dispute and was sidelined for the first 11 games of 1996-97 because of a lower abdominal injury.