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Paul Kariya burps, before signing the official #HHOF2017 register: "I just had my first beer since 2002."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 14, 2017
Guys, I think Paul Kariya might go streaking by the end of the night. Here's the full quote, before he signed the #HHOF2017 register: pic.twitter.com/wMvwes1YYr
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 14, 2017
J.S. Giguere
HockeyBuzz: Tell me about Paul just as a teammate.
J.S. Giguere: He was super dedicated. He was always trying to get better as a player. Always trying to get new ideas.
He was always a serious guy. As a team, he's your leader, and you have to follow.
Larry Murphy
HockeyBuzz: How difficult was it to gameplan against Kariya and Selanne back then?
Larry Murphy: You had your hands full without a doubt.
Really high-skilled guys who played at a high pace. If you weren't positioned properly, they were going to take full advantage. So you always had to be aware of where you were on the ice because of their speed and high skill.
It was always a challenge. You were going to have to skate, work hard, if you were going to have any success.
HB: For you, who was more challenging, Andreychuk in front of the net or Kariya/Selanne with their speed?
LM: Different problems.
Andreychuk's a guy, if he gets position on you in front of net because of his size, his hand-eye coordination, you were in trouble. You felt like you were always playing behind, desperately trying to get position back. But it seemed like it was impossible because he was so strong, so smart.
Selanne and Kariya did a lot damage away from the net. They got a half a step on you, you were in trouble. Because they were going to take the puck to the net and you weren't going to have the opportunity to recover.
Steve Rucchin
HockeyBuzz: Tell me about Paul and Teemu as teammates.
Steve Rucchin: First of all, it was such an honor to even play with them. To be on a line with two Hall of Fame inductees is pretty amazing. But I think the most important thing that people need to know is what amazing human beings they are off the ice.
HB: What do you remember about Paul as a 19-year-old?
SR: I give Paul a lot of credit. He came in as a 19-year-old, not a very big guy. He had the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders. He carried himself unbelievably.
I think Teemu was an amazing thing for Paul, he was able to take some of that burden off Paul's shoulders. Let Paul take a deep breath and start to enjoy the game a little bit more.
HB: One of the underrated stories about Paul is that he's the first Asian-American to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame. Did you see his impact on the Asian community while he was in Anaheim?
SR: No question about it. There's a big Asian following for the Ducks because of him. We went to Japan the one year. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it. But he was the reason why.
It was great to see. And once again, that was a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
But he just handled himself so well. And he continues to do so.
HB: Going forward to 2003, can you talk about the offensive sacrifice that Paul made to fit into what Mike Babcock wanted?
SR: Paul is, first and foremost, a team player. He never played the game, looking for individual accolades. To him, the most important thing was to win as a team.
And that was tough for him too. He was such an amazing talent from the get-go with a new franchise. Let's be honest, there's not a lot of talent around him, myself included, right?
But he handled it well. The most important thing to him was just to win and for the team to get better.
HB: And what's your favorite Paul story that you can share?
SR: (snickers) I sat next to Paul for 10 years. On my left was a wall. On my right was Paul. So basically, another wall. He's a pretty intense guy before games. So I spent 10 years at home, really not talking to anybody. Just staring at my feet.
HB: It was like hanging out with a goalie!
SR: Exactly. Exactly. 100%.
Both Kariya and Selanne have readily pointed out the contributions of their center, Steve Rucchin. Kariiya: "Thank you for doing all the things I couldn’t do on the ice. Like forecheck, backcheck, going into the corners or playing defense."
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) November 14, 2017
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