page_title: Paul Kariya
section_title: Playing style
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Kariya / Playing style
caption_attribution_description: Ice hockey players Jeremy Roenick and Paul Kariya
context_page_description: Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey Winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known as a skilled and fast-skating offensive player, he played in the NHL for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.
  After a two-year career with the Penticton Panthers, in which he was named Canadian Junior A Player of the Year in 1992, Kariya joined the college ranks with the University of Maine's Black Bears men's ice hockey team. In his freshman year, he received the Hobey Baker Award while leading his team to the 1993 NCAA title. Selected fourth overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Mighty Ducks, he joined the team in 1994–95 and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. During his nine-year tenure with Anaheim, Kariya formed an effective duo with fellow winger Teemu Selänne that helped him to three NHL First All-Star Team distinctions, while also finishing as the first runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1997. Not an aggressive player, he won back-to-back Lady Byng Trophies in 1996 and 1997 as the League's most gentlemanly player.
context_section_description: Kariya was known for his skilled and entertaining style of play. An offensive player, he was a fast skater with strong puck-handling and passing abilities. Prior to and early in his NHL career, Kariya drew comparisons to Wayne Gretzky. During the 1994 Winter Olympics, American Head Coach Tim Taylor likened his skating and playmaking ability to Gretzky's, while Kariya's linemate, Chris Kontos, described his on-ice vision as "Gretzky-like." Canadian head coach Tom Renney heralded him as "think[ing] and play[ing] at a better speed than anybody else," adding that his teammates "are usually a half-step behind him". His speed made him particularly adept in international competition, as games were played on a larger ice surface in comparison to the NHL. Following his first NHL goal against Winnipeg, Jets head coach John Paddock told reporters, "[L]ike with Gretzky the puck seems to following him around... It looks like he's cherry-picking, but he's not. That's just great instinct." Kariya himself cited Gretzky, as well as Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick and Pavel Bure, as players he liked patterning his game after. Kariya was also recognized for his "hockey sense" and the cerebral aspect of his game, which included analyzing the game at a high level. His first NHL coach, Ron Wilson, also once described Kariya as "the hardest-working athlete [he's] ever been associated with".
  While recognized primarily as a playmaker leading up to his NHL career, Kariya was forced into shooting more as the Mighty Ducks lacked scorers in his first two seasons with the team. During his third NHL season, he commented, "If Teemu [Selänne] had been here right off the bat, then maybe I wouldn't have focused so much on shooting." Kariya was able to put many shots on goal due to his quick release. In 1998–99, he led the NHL with 429 shots on goal, which at the time was the second-highest recorded total in NHL history. Nonetheless maintaining his passing ability, Kariya was particularly adept at making plays from deep in the offensive zone and beside the opposing team's net.
caption: Kariya (right) stated that Jeremy Roenick (left) was one of the players he patterned his game after.
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