The Mysterious Move to Colorado
After the devastating blow of losing the Stanley Cup Finals to the New Jersey Devils, Paul Kariya vowed that he would be back in Anaheim the following season. Reaching UFA status at the end of the 2002-03 season, Kariya’s $10M per-year contract needed to be renegotiated.
Tragedy struck the Mighty Ducks organization and fan base when it was announced that their beloved left wing had agreed to terms with the Colorado Avalanche. Taking a colossal salary cut, earning $1.2M on a one year contract, the aging NHLer saw the need to move on.
His best friend and former teammate, Teemu Selanne, joined the team during the same season. Together, the two of them had their eyes on one thing; the Stanley Cup. The Colorado team was chalked full of raw talent and Cup-winning potential. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with skaters like Philip Forsberg and Joe Sakic.
Due to his “betrayal” to the franchise, many Anaheim Duck’s fans were bitter towards Kariya. Unlike Teemu Selanne, he never returned to the franchise and fell out of favor with the fans for many years.
It was reported that Kariya required a $10M qualifying offer from the Mighty Ducks organization. However, it is still unknown what sparked Kariya to move on from the Mighty Ducks. A player wouldn’t simply leave the only team he’s ever known and take a pay cut that large for no reason.
Nevertheless, we still do not know exactly why Kariya and the Ducks failed to come to terms on his last contract. Perhaps he felt like his contributions were not being appreciated. Maybe he just wanted the chance to play alongside his dearest friend again.
We may never know the real reason behind his departure and we’re just going to have to live with that. I do, however, believe that Kariya did not leave for selfish reasons. His constant bend towards humility leads me to believe otherwise.
Nevertheless, the game-winning formula the Colorado Avalanche thought they had, did not work out in their favor. Paul Kariya fell short, yet again, of winning the coveted Stanley Cup.