Jen Goes to Therapy Over Paul Kariya
by Jen Neale on May 8, 2010 8:18 PM PDT
in From the Flying V
Email
Print
JEN:
Well Doc, recently, Eklund speculated that Paul Kariya might return to the Ducks to finish his career. I know it's Eklund, so I shouldn't worry, but I have mixed feelings about this possible reunion, and I need to get it off my chest.
Paul Kariya was the first hockey player I ever wanted to meet. He was my first NHL crush. There was something about him I just loved. It could have been his ridiculous speed, his unbelievable hand-eye coordination, the greatest show on earth he put on with Teemu Selanne, or the fact that we were the same height.
It was March 1997. I was 15 years old, two months shy of my "Sweet 16". While other girls were asking for cars, I was asking for tickets to Mighty Ducks Casino Night, to meet my favorite team. Also, my 15 year-old brain had the idea in mind that I could possibly be meeting my future husband, who was 23 at the time, at the event, and I HAD to go. Realizing this, my parents granted me my birthday wish and purchased two tickets – one for me and one for my dad. Like Pops was really going to let his 15 year-old (only) daughter go with one of her girlfriends to an event with professional athletes, even if I was jailbait.
We arrived at The Pond. The event was held up on the 300 level. First stop was the Stanley Cup, which was on display for the night. Dad took a picture of me with The Cup. I followed tradition and didn’t touch The Cup, seeing as my Mighty Ducks hadn’t won it . . . yet.
After leaving Lord Stanley, I saw him. Unlike current Casino Nights, there were around 100 fans max at the event, making it easy to interact with the players. I walked up to him, and in my squeakiest voice, choked out, "Hi Paul. You’re my favorite player. Can I take a picture?" His response, "Ok." Right after my dad snapped the shot, he was gone. I didn’t have a free second to ask him for an autograph or chat about the season. Other players were laughing and talking with fans, but he was disinterested and wanted to get out -- I was crushed.
My dad and I wandered around until we saw Teemu Selanne. He was commanding the largest group of fans as he was dealing blackjack. I was the youngest fan at the event, and Teemu saw me in the crowd. He called me over to take a couple pictures and hang around while he dealt.
After chilling with Teemu, my dad and I ended up at a table with then GM Pierre Gauthier. I told him that one day, I was going to take his job. That amused him, and he started talking to me about the season: what moves I’d make, how the team could be better, etc. He was impressed with my knowledge of the team and the league. It was a thrilling moment that made me want to be in the NHL front office one day.
While we talked, he asked me who my favorite player was. Crestfallen, I replied, "Paul Kariya." My dad, quick to react, said, "We met him, but she didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He ran off." Gauthier, noticing my disappointment, briefly excused himself and when he returned. Kariya was in tow. Kariya was slightly more talkative with me and signed an autograph. It wasn’t difficult to deduce that Kariya was only doing this because the boss told him to. He sat in on a couple hands of blackjack, not talking much when I tried to engage him. Feeling the awkwardness of the moment, I excused myself to find other players and leave. Still crushed.
That experience would sum up Kariya’s relationship with the fans during his entire tenure with Anaheim. He never did pregame or intermission interviews. It was extremely rare to get a post-game quote out of him. It wasn’t until Scotty was given the "C" that I realized what a crappy captain Kariya was, at least in regards to the fans. Could it be that he was young? Sure, but Getzy handles the fans better than Kariya ever did. For a guy that was tapped by the NHL to promote the "Coolest Game on Earth" campaign, he didn’t help the cause with his one-on-one skills.
PK left the organization on not so good terms. As a fan, it broke my heart even more. I will admit, I have gone to almost every Avalanche/Predators/Blues game just to boo Kariya. My inner 15 year-old is still mad.
Selanne and Kariya, in their prime, were unstoppable. What Ducks fan wouldn’t drool at the possibility that they might be reunited as grumpy (Paul only) old men? But I just don’t see it happening. Withdrawn personality aside, I can’t imagine PK being OK with not being the #1 star of the organization he put on the map. This team is now the Getzlaf, Perry and (cross your fingers) Ryan, team. I’m grateful for Kariya’s contributions to Anaheim, but his time here has come and gone. Even if he took a serious pay cut, I’m not sure I’d want to take him back.
32 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Jen, I’m with you except for the crush and actually meeting Kariya. I’d still like to see him come back. I feel bad for the dude honestly. He was IT way back when all he wanted to do was win. I remember reading so many articles about his focus and how he had one at every level he had been until he hit the NHL.
He’s made A LOT of mistakes and probably regrets it all too. I’d love to see him flying one more time with Selanne and if (likely) we sign Koivu I think that would be a really nice and HUNGRY 2nd line. Think of it coming back older/wiser/humbler comes in for some secondary scoring for his (hopefully Koivu’s and Ryan’s) first Stanley Cup? Lot’s O’ Healing between us fans and PK…
I honestly don’t know if he wants to be a star. He hasn’t been marketed as one in St. Louis or Nashville. If anything, I think he actively avoids the spotlight. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out if anything is actually shaking here.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 8, 2010 10:46 PM PDT reply actions
Jen, you're not alone
When I was a very young lad I met Chili Davis and my favorite Angel of the time Wally Joyner during a little league visit to the Big A. We asked Wally’s World for an autograph and he said his hand hurt. I would’ve worshipped that autograph but instead just got a big resentment. I have since been given a Joyner signed card that just brings back a broken adolescent heart every time I see it. Now I never met Kariya but he was the first Duck that I liked, shortly followed by Teemu and Hebert. I was crushed Selanne and Kariya and even more hurt when they joined each other and to fail in Colorado. Teemu was able to make a triumphant return to Anaheim and I would be excited to see Paul give it a try. If you need someone to talk to Jen I’m here for you.
by Anaheim71420 on May 9, 2010 4:33 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
i dunno i would rather have paul than blake but i also love blake and a masterson line winning a cup would be awesome… plus we cant keep both lupul and blake if bobby comes back so one has to be gone or both if kariya comes… i mean you cant put lupul and blake on the third line because we have a forward logjam at the moment and in desperate need of defense… is there any other tough defenseman that clears the crease on the trade market other than zanon?
Golfers with sex addiction, baseball players and performance enhancing drugs, ex-football players caught with underage prostitutes. So what’s up with Paul Kariya? He’s a bit “socially challenged”. Sorry he broke your heart Jen, but if you want me to dislike PK you’re gonna have to dig up a little more dirt than that. Of course, that’s not to say I want him back in a Ducks uniform. I don’t think adding him to the roster makes them a better team. DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE! I’d much rather see Francois Beauchemin back in a Ducks jersey than Paul Kariya.
she’s not arguing a point, just telling a story.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 9, 2010 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I’ll be sending my next round of therapy bills to you, Crabby :)
Writer for Anaheim Calling
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
I'm happy to say
that I’ve never had a bad experience with a player I worshiped. I did meet Ken Griffy Jr. once before he really took the world by storm at baseball Spring Training in Yuma and he was a monumental douche bag. I still hate that guy.
by PhantomPretender on May 9, 2010 2:26 PM PDT reply actions
Still, though, is there any particular reason you were expecting him to be a nice guy? I know sports stars get paid millions to endorse things, but those are just commercials, right? It’s like being disappointed because Grant Hill can’t fly into outer space after eating a Crunch bar. I just can’t imagine feeling betrayed because Kariya isn’t the happy-go-lucky guy in the commercial above, not any more than I would be to find out Tiger Woods drives a Honda or Michael Jordan wears Reeboks.
I don’t know. I pay to see them entertain me, and they entertain me. Seems like the end of the transaction.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 9, 2010 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I think it has to do with moral expectations more than anything. I think most people (myself included) tend to identify with athletes on an emotional level and thus, expect a certain emotional connection to the athlete. Once the acquaintance is realized, it then becomes clear whether or not those moral expectations (derived from the emotional identification) are met. With the case of Teemu, they are met and he becomes a fan favorite. With Paul, they weren’t. And this is part of the reason why he is booed anytime he comes to Ponda.
There's nothing to see here. And nothing gazes back at me.
Hmm. I don’t know why I have trouble understanding that. I definitely see why kids look up to athletes as heroes and why advertising agencies try to portray sports stars as friendly heroes that reciprocate the affection they receive, but it seems so unrealistic for there to be an actual emotional relationship. For me, it would be like going into a restaurant and having a really attractive, friendly and chatty waitress. She’s done her job, 20% tip at least, and maybe I feel like there’s a spark, so I ask her out. If she says no, I can’t imagine bad mouthing her or judging her for falling short of expectations. I know it’s not really like that, but I guess I can’t get out of my own head in seeing the relationship like that. The product on the ice was great. The fact that he doesn’t want to go get a beer with me feels extraneous.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 9, 2010 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I see what you’re getting at, Arthur. Now that I’ve grown up a bit, I can see how my expectations were a little overblown. Yet, at a team sponsored event where the fans paid $150 plus a ticket to meet and interact with the players, he could’ve shown a little more effort.
Writer for Anaheim Calling
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
oh, no doubt, and I think that’s why his boss went and got him. But some players aren’t really big on community events; supposedly that contributed to Burke shipping off Fedorov and Sykora, both really great hockey players. And with the Ducks especially, I think there are a lot of community events to try and get the team out there, since the press doesn’t do it. So it’s different from other organizations. And a guy like Selanne, for example, always lays that semi-backhanded compliment on us about how he likes playing where there’s no pressure, but he loves the fans the team DOES have. And that sounds like a guy that can’t handle the traditional sports star pressure of press scrutiny, but a guy who shines in the one-on-one.
Personally, I think all hockey players are maladjusted, and generally most professional athletes, especially the really great ones that spend their lives striving to master a sport, usually alone or in a setting with other athletes. That makes it all the more special for me when I find one that’s a regular guy/girl
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 9, 2010 8:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Meh, I was like 5 years old
I didn’t have much in the way of expectations, other than he’d at least acknowledge me.
Here’s the scene:
The Mariners have just finished their morning workout and the players are sort of milling about. If you’ve ever been to Spring Training, this is the time where players tend to be the most accessible as they transfer and travel between opportunities. So here I am, a 5-year old kid, and my parents are like, “Go talk to him and try to get his autograph. He’s going to be a very good player someday.”
So I walk up to the guy with a baseball and a pen. He’s trying his shoes when I get to him. I say to him, “Mr. Griffey Jr., can I please have your autograph?” He stands up, looks directly at me, and walks away.
by PhantomPretender on May 9, 2010 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions
I loved PK...
…right up until he told the world he was going to retire as a Duck and then bolted for Colorado. He doesn’t DESERVE to play on my Ducks ever again – IDC where he goes as long as it isn’t here.
meh. Sports are a business. If the new CBA is unfair to Bobby Ryan, and he goes back on saying he wants to be here long term, will you hold it against him seven years later? Or is that lisp just too adorable not to forgive?
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 9, 2010 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions
I am so confused about all this, because i probably had the biggest mancrush ever on Paul and then when we added Teemu it was to be the biggest bromance in the history of fandom and organized sports.I was totaly devastated when Paul left and i blamed the Ducks front office for a long time because they didn’t know how valuable Paul really was, then i sorta stopped following his career because i am a true Ducks fan and i realized no 1 player is bigger then the team.Besides we still had the finnish flash so it wasn’t that big of a tear inducing split after all, and the boys actually started playing really good in the next several seasons and i rarely heard about Paul anymore, hell in fact at 1 time i even thought he was no longer playing until i saw him in a pre game skate before a game at the pond. As you can tell i got over it and our team did as well and we even won a Stanley Cup before the Queens a few miles north of us did so that was awesome.But even though i got over him on the outside inside of me has always had this feeling that the Ducks could have had a true hockey dynasty if Paul and Teemu could have gotten to grow and mature and gel more together and i really believe that together they would have been the best 1-2 punch that the NHL has ever seen,my opinion and only my opinion of course. So i would like to see him come back at least for 1 more go with his side kick and partner in crime Teemu, and maybe in a storybook ending they can capture what they once had and retire with a Stanley cup to drink champagne out of at the retirement party!!!!!
If practice makes perfect....
Yet nobodies perfect.....
Then why practice ???
We love Kariya?
What’s so funny is that so many of my non-Ducks fan friends automatically assume that we all still love Paul Kariya when in reality, a large chunk of us don’t care what happens to him and don’t want him back. They don’t know how much Kariya is disliked nowadays until they talk to a Ducks fan (and they’re often surprised to know that Kariya is such a pariah).
At the risk of comparing apples to oranges, it’s like over here in Korea. A lot of people assume that Korea and Japan have a friendly relationship due to geography and economics, but in fact it’s the opposite. (Google “Dokdo” or “Japanese occupation of Korea” and you’ll see one of the big reasons why.) Those outside Korea would have a hard time knowing about this animosity unless they spoke to a Korean.
Uhhhhhh, yeah. Definitely apples and oranges. Paul Kariya, who I’ll grant you is Japanese, never made Anaheim fans change their surnames and live in camps. And he certainly wouldn’t deny archaeological evidence that he and Anaheim fans had a common ancestor. But your comparison is important in two ways. First, it points to an ACTUAL problem and a reason to be upset, versus holding on to anger against a professional athlete for seven years. Second, the ignorance you point to is the same ignorance that feeds the Kariya hate.
I’ll go on record as saying that Kariya-haters are more vocal, but there is definitely a large chunk of Kariya-lovers out there, including yours truly. Yeah, the guy gets booed at games, but I’ve talked to people that weren’t fans during the Kariya era that are contributing to the booing. And they’ll talk about stories they heard: the holdout, the free agency paycut. But when I ask them if they understand those things from a business standpoint, they don’t, because obviously they weren’t fans during the last CBA. When I ask them if they’d be surprised to find out Sakic tried to screw the Avalanche to bolt for the Rangers, again they’re surprised because that organization loves him. I can only gather that the fans that told them about why Kariya left and argued with management didn’t understand it themselves. I guess those fans will have a hard time knowing about what actually happened until they speak to someone who can speak CBA.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 10, 2010 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Okay, that was a bad comparison. I admit that.
I was around during Kariya’s time in Anaheim and admit I had some fan-love for the guy but whenever a player leaves a team, I expect them to be respectful even when they are with another team. Sure, they can taunt their former team. That’s within limits because there’s still respect. But it seemed that Kariya didn’t have respect for the Ducks after he left, which turned me off big time.
Business doesn’t play a big role in my dislike for him, because business is business. Players come and go according to the mighty dollar, which often overrules team loyalty. Too bad some fans can’t comprehend that.
The problem is that Kariya had a lot of battles with management, and there was really no reason for there to be a civil relationship there. If you look at something like Detroit and Fedorov, where they matched his offer sheet with incentives and forced him to come back, the team stripped him of the ‘A’ and the fans let him hear it. It was almost spiteful when he met most of the incentives to earn the money he signed with the Hurricanes for.
The post-94 CBA made it impossible for there to be anything but a contentious relationship between organizations and players that were reaching the pre-94 unrestricted free agency age. Expectations on a player have to be realistic to the situation. If it’s okay for Teemu to light up the Coyotes every time he sees them just for trading him, then I don’t see the problem of Kariya being honest that it wasn’t all that fun to come to a team that stalled on paying him, only to attempt to enforce the full weight of the new CBA on him so that he would never get a chance at even restricted free agency. Add to that the brief period they let him get concussed repeatedly, and I think he’s free to say what he didn’t have a great time here. At some point, even as a die hard fan, falling on the shield and booing players gets ridiculous, especially when your front office isn’t in the right.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 11, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
First, I agree with Arthur about the emotional attachment to athletes. I don’t know what fans expect sometimes. Personally, I expect them to be assholes and then enjoy the pleasant surprise when they aren’t. I think too often, sports fans treat the relationship with athletes like a friendship when in all honesty we know nothing about these people. I remember my sister got to hang out with Bone Thugs N Harmony, my FAVORITE rap group. She asked if I was jealous, and I said of course. But I also said I was glad that I didn’t. That music has a place in my life, and I don’t need to get to know them as people. It might have been really disappointing and ruined everything I enjoyed about the group and their music. I don’t need a personal relationship with my athletes. I already take my sports too personally without that.
As for Kariya, I don’t understand the hate. I know Arthur has talked about the business side of things, but beyond that. Free agents leave all the time, and posturing occurs in negotiations. Anaheim fans really have taken this shit WAY too personally. The man might have left under bad circumstances, but if it wasn’t for him the team probably would have been moved years ago. He was the big ticket draw. He put Ducks hockey on the map. Our organization owes him a lot, asshole or no.
If I can play Devil's Advocate for a few mins
I’ll try to explain why fans MIGHT feel justified in expecting some love from certain atheletes. As a disclaimer, I want to point out that my following theory isn’t a fully-developed idea and I’m not sure how much I buy into it, but its an interesting factor to consider.
I don’t think fans expect ever athelete to be cool. I think they expect the superstars to be cool. To some degree, fans help to create superstars. Sure, guys like Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter have insane amounts of fundamental talent. But there are people who are similarly talented, but do not receive the hype these guys do.
When fans buy merchandise and talk about players, they help to create and drive that player’s super stardom. The media then catches on (or even first floats the idea of a player as a superstar) and the reptuation begins to grow further. As that player continues to enjoy success, we continue to buy merchandise and patronize the products they endorse. We help to build their stature as a superstar and we (rationally or not) expect some sort of benefit from it. In our eyes, we helped athelete x build a reputation above the game that earned him his massive contract. We feel partly responsible for his success. So, when he leaves us for more money or opportunity elsewhere, were scorned. Sure, we could leave our teams too but that really doesn’t happen that often. We tell ourselves that no single person is more important than the team and were mystified when players are mtovated by millions or success.
Its not rational, but we feel that the players owe us to a degree. We created them through our spending habits and we’d prefer it if they didn’t big time us when we finally have our one chance to meet them.
As I said, I think this only reallu applies to superstars. Sure, I’d like everyone to be cool, but I don’t have any investment in them. However, if I ever get to meet B-Ry and he acts like a douche, ill be scorned. I’ve spent probably close to a grand on jerseys for me and my wife with his name and number on them. I’d be experiencing complete buyers remose if he ends up being an ass.
by PhantomPretender on May 10, 2010 10:57 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I don’t know. 2mex once said “worship the music, not the man”. I agree with that sentiment. All the things you said to me still sound like a business transaction. Business isn’t friendship. I see your point; I just don’t see it really working out. I told Arthur, if this happens I’m dropping the $300 for an authentic Kariya jersey. If he’s an asshole, I’m still cool with it. I enjoy the player and his work. The only time I don’t is when that guy punishes my on ice product. For example, I never like the Flyers and consequently care that Eric Lindros was apparently an asshole. Or even the inverse, I don’t care if Lidstrom is a nice guy; I hate him for being a Red Wing. I guess my point is that despite the feelings we take outside the arena, I get legit angry when the Ducks lose, try not to channel them at other people, even players. I hate Wisniewski for what he does on the ice. I could care less what he’s like in real life. Let the man have his real life. Everything else is entertainment.
I think you have to separate merchandising
from the sponsorship advertising the player actually does. Merchandising is ownership trying to get the money they put into a player back. The idea that the money a player receives for playing holds him to a higher standard off the field is a little ludicrous. Anything he/she does that isn’t a crime and doesn’t interfere with the game is really their business. These guys aren’t politicians. They don’t need to be vetted, because they don’t represent us to the world at large. No one will ever say, “You’re from LA? Kobe’s a rapist; you must be one, too. You buy his merchandise. You elected him.” Now if Kobe was a Trojan spokesman or an advocate for the violence against women act, then sure, him being charged with rape would be fundamentally at odds with the persona he personally promoted.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 10, 2010 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions
i think Buyer's Remorse
is a very real phenomenon and they preach it to us in B school every day. I’m just suggesting that such feelings can and do extend beyond the team’s performance to the player’s behavior and persona.
I would also question the assertion that players aren’t vetted. The selection of captains and alternates is absolutely a political process. These people end up becoming your team representatives. Some of us have expressed temerity about Getz being a captain since he can act a fool at times (although admittedly our concern is largely related to on-ice activities).
I completely agree that its irrational to expect atheletes to be good people who are legitimately interested in fans. But we don’t typically act as rational people, especially when money is involved. We buy good feelings, and anything that alters those good feelings earns or animosity.
by PhantomPretender on May 10, 2010 12:28 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Well, I’m definitely not projecting my approach onto children or anyone else really. I think it’s just very irrational, and I’ve never approached it from that angle. People are certainly allowed to feel however they want; I just can’t wrap my head around it. Someone being paid to tape commercials, or humor me with sports platitudes in the media is one thing, but I can’t imagine someone being paid to like me and be loyal to me. But I fully understand if other people don’t get that feeling.
And when I say they’re not vetted, I just mean to the degree a politician would be. Kobe’s a captain after all. But it’s okay that he suits up and shoots again, because you don’t ‘vote’ for Kobe the person when you buy a jersey. And as to the NHL, it’s not as political as you’d think. It’s very much a coaching decision. With someone like Koivu, sure you pick someone that gets you pull with the refs. But when we pick people like Pronger, Getzlaf and Perry, we’re also saying fuck you to the refs, because we’re picking players notorious around the league. Still, these players represent what Carlyle likes in a player and what he wants everyone in his charge to look up to, even if it puts as at odds with every officiating crew we see. Ultimately, it’s the coach’s choice, and a coach that punishes you for off-ice behavior that doesn’t affect the on-ice product won’t be around for very long.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 10, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Look its a free country and people can say whatever they want. Paul can do whatever he wants and thats fine. However the fans don’t have to like his actions and can want him gone. Its the fans who pay the players salaries. If the fans stop showing up look how quickly things would change.
by Newport Rebel on May 18, 2010 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
CK Photo Galleries
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
