Anaheim Ducks Tales: Paul Kariya Jilted the Mighty Ducks in 2003

In the Summer of 2003, captain Paul Kariya’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and their fans were still abuzz after their game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final. What happened next would define the team and their original superstar.

The Run

The 2002-03 Mighty Ducks team wasn’t supposed to do much damage. In fact, many had them finishing at the bottom of the Pacific Division. But they had signed extraordinary play-maker Adam Oates. At mid-season, they added a noted roamer, puck-moving defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh. And they added a rental, veteran scoring winger Steve Thomas at the trade deadline. Things were much better than expected when they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing seventh in the Western Conference.

Then the miracles started. They vanquished the dynastic Detroit Red Wings in a first-round sweep. I can still see Steve Rucchin backing alone into the slot from my seat high above the ice to win game 4 in overtime. Then they downed the Dallas Stars in 6 games in the second round. That Stars team led the Western Conference in points in 2002-03. Another sweep, this time of the Minnesota Wild, catapulted the Mighty Ducks into the Stanley Cup Final against another dynasty, the New Jersey Devils.

The home team won every game in that Stanley Cup Final series. It was a thrilling time for the ten-year-old franchise. But the experience of the Devils won out.

The Rub

Soon after the Mighty Ducks’ defeat, Paul Kariya publicly proclaimed he would be back to win the Stanley Cup the following year. His contract had expired, and he’d earned $10 million in 2002-03. In order to keep Kariya, the Ducks would have to make him a qualifying offer of at least $10 million per season. This is where things start to get murky. The Ducks wanted to sign Kariya for less than the qualifying offer so they could afford to bring Teemu Selanne back into the fold. Rumors had the amount the Ducks would pay Kariya in the neighborhood of $7 to 8 million.

But before the Mighty Ducks general manager Bryan Murray could sign the team’s only remaining superstar, Paul Kariya had arranged a reunion with Teemu Selanne in Colorado. Kariya’s contract? He signed to play for the Avalanche, and with his good friend, for $1.2 million.

Mighty Ducks fans were incensed. They were so close to winning the Cup. Then their superstar, who had promised to stay, was gone. Maybe he disliked Anaheim so much that he took an 88% pay cut to get out of town. Rumors swirled that Kariya had a handshake deal with Murray to sign for less than the qualifying offer and that Kariya had backed out on his word.

To add insult to injury, the planned reunion with the previously popular Selanne was going to happen elsewhere, and Kariya had orchestrated the whole thing. Mighty Ducks fans were fuming even more because their team languished throughout the following season, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

What’s That Noise?

Due to an injury, Kariya missed the game the first time his new team visited the Arrowhead Pond. On January 30, 2004, with the Mighty Ducks sporting a disappointing record of 15-22-8-6, Kariya returned to the scene of the crime. Fans booed Kariya every time he touched the puck. It lasted all night long. They were going to extract their pound of flesh. They booed Selanne too. Heck, they even booed Rob Blake, presumably just because he was once a King. (On second thought, that seems reasonable.)

The booing didn’t stop there. Kariya was booed at every game he played in the Arrowhead Pond even after the name was changed to Honda Center. They booed him until his career tragically ended much too early in the 2009-10 season.

The Aftermath

Paul Kariya was the first hockey hero to many Orange County youth. He gave his heart, soul, and body for the Mighty Ducks. Thankfully, he’s somewhat recovered from the overwhelming brain injuries he suffered as a player. The Mighty Ducks changed their name. They even won a Stanley Cup four years later without Kariya.

For one summer in Southern California, everything almost went right just before everything went wrong. Maybe one day, those incensed fans will forgive Paul Kariya for trying to win the Cup elsewhere.