Ducks lassen Kariya ziehen - Rückkehr dennoch möglich

[hockeystar]

Man madeishockey, bist ja ein sehr humorvoller User...

Natürlich ist die Avalanche nun Topfavorit zudem ja auch noch ein Starkeeper angekündigt wurde.

[Stevie Y]

Nochmal zu Kariya:

Viele haben sich gewundert, warum der Gute für ein Butterbrot (1,2 Mio. statt 10 Mio. bei den Ducks) in Colorado unterschrieben hat. Ich auch. Ich wechsele ja auch nicht den Arbeitsplatz für 10% von dem was ich jetzt verdiene, auch nicht, wenn ich dort mit meinem allerbesten Freund zusammenarbeite, und auch dann nicht, wenn ich schon genug Geld hätte.

Wie auch immer, ich habe einen zugegebenermaßen etwas länglichen Kommentar dazu gefunden. Die interessierten der englischen Sprache Mächtigen können ihn zur Kenntnis nehmen, sogar eventuell ihre eigene Sicht der Dinge hier kundtun, diejenigen, die nicht gerne längere Postings lesen, weil dies ihre Konzentrationsfähigkeit zu sehr beansprucht, mögen bitte von dummen Kommentaren absehen. Die Quelle ist jedenfalls http://spectorshockey.tripod.com/spectors_soapbox.html

KARIYA'S KISS-OFF.

I doubt there's ever been a bigger one-finger salute to a former team like the one Paul Kariya levelled at the Anaheim Mighty Ducks during this summer's UFA market.

For those of you who may have missed it, the Mighty Ducks stunned the hockey world when they opted not to give Kariya, their captain and a Group II free agent, a qualifying offer to retain his rights, citing the $10 million he made last season being simply too expensive to continue to absorb.

Ducks management hoped to get Kariya to re-sign a lesser, one-year contract worth up around $6 million US, and were even rumoured to have thrown in " a sweetener", as one reporter called it: sign for less money, so we can afford to bring your former linemate and good buddy Teemu Selanne back.

It's doubtful there was much truth to that last part, but there was no doubt about Kariya's subsequent reaction.

After initially saying he wouldn't give the Ducks a chance to match any offers for him as an unrestricted free agent, Kariya's agent suggested it might still be possible for the Ducks to bring his client back to Anaheim.

Then came July 3.

To the shock of all, the Colorado Avalanche announced they had signed Kariya AND Selanne to one-year deals. Selanne's was worth $5.6 million, down slightly from the $6.5 million he was thought to be seeking as a UFA, but it was Kariya's contract that attracted the most attention.

The former Ducks captain, the one-time $10 million per season man, signed a one-year deal with the Avs for a paltry $1.2 million US.

That published amount was so low that many took it to be a typo or a misprint. But no, that was the actual deal: $1.2 million US.

No bonus clauses. No incentives for games played, goals scored, total points or winning the Stanley Cup.

Just $1.2 million. Less than the league average.

During the press conference announcing the signings, the question on everyone's mind was, why did Kariya do this? Why did he spurn $6 million US for one season from the Ducks to sign with Colorado for less money than what the average third-line checking forward makes?

Kariya, smiling the self-satisfied grin of someone who had just told his former employer to get stuffed, explained that it was "not about the money".

No, no, with a barely contained smirk, Kariya insisted it was all about the opportunity to play with his good buddy Teemu again, and the chance for both of them to play on a Stanley Cup champion. He went on to explain that, by signing this deal, he would become an unrestricted free agent again next summer.

It's a wonder Kariya's nose didn't grow like a certain Disney character!

This was not just about money, but also about a bruised ego.

It wasn't that long ago, in fact, only a year ago, when Kariya squelched suggestions of seeking a trade from a moribund Mighty Ducks team. He stated he wanted to be like Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who toughed it out through lean early years with the Wings before leading them on to Cup glory.

Many applauded Kariya for his wish to emulate Yzerman, but in hindsight, the simple reason for his desire to remain a Mighty Duck probably had to do with the guaranteed $10 million he'd get by staying in Anaheim, and the fact that probably no other club would take that fat salary off the Ducks hands by ponying up the hefty asking price in players, picks or prospects.

Fast forward to the spring of 2003. The Mighty Ducks stage an improbable run for the Stanley Cup, upsetting powerhouses like Detroit and Dallas, shutting down an upstart club from Minnesota, and scaring the hell out of seasoned post-season pros from New Jersey before coming up short in seven amazing games in the Finals.

As notable as the Ducks play was, highlighted by the goaltending heroics of JS Giguere, the coaching of Mike Babcock, and the emergence of otherwise unknown Ducks, the production - or rather, the lack of it - by Kariya was getting just as much attention.

Kariya was increasingly singled out as the playoffs progressed for his lack of offensive contributions. He'd had two or three big games, but he wasn't popping the points on a consistent basis as expected of a player of his skills and hefty paycheque.

To his credit, he faced the media, never shied away from the tough questions, and cited the team game eschewed by Babcock as part of the reason for his average offensive output. His point production didn't matter, he said, as long as his all-round game was helping the Ducks.

Fair enough, he was buying into the team concept, just as Yzerman had done under Scotty Bowman in Detroit years ago.

There was also talk Kariya may have been playing hurt, which was never fully substantiated, but to give him the benefit of the doubt, could've also contributed to his somewhat sub-par post-season.

Indeed, if the Ducks had done the impossible and won the Cup, most of the criticism levelled at Kariya would've subsided if he, rather than Scott Stevens, was the one league commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Stanley Cup to at the end of Game Seven.

But when the playoffs ended and the Ducks came up short, the questions began to abound.

Was Kariya worth the $10 million US the Ducks were paying him? And was it worth it for Anaheim to offer him that much, if not more, as a Group II free agent next season?

Compounding the issue over Kariya's salary was the fact the Ducks had a limited payroll. Disney, who owns the Ducks and has been shopping them for the past two years, has put tight controls on their budget.

With several notable players, including Gigeure and Peter Sykora eligible for raises, it was going to make it even more difficult for the Ducks to make that kind of offer to their captain.

Kariya must have known this. He must have known the bind GM Bryan Murray found himself in. If Murray re-signed his captain to a big contract, he risked losing depth elsewhere in his roster.

The Ducks had come so far so quickly, Murray didn't want to risk his team becoming another "one-year wonder", like the Panthers, Capitals and Hurricanes before them. Murray had to keep as much of the team together as possible in hopes of further attempts at Lord Stanley's mug in the near future.

Buoyed by the sight of most NHL clubs attempting to pare down payroll by unsuccessfully shopping other big-name players with hefty salaries, Murray made the decision. If Kariya wouldn't agree to sign on for less money, he'd allow him to become a UFA, and gamble that no one would come close to offering what the Ducks were.

Indeed, Murray seemed hopeful after announcing his decision of continued negotiations with Kariya. Murray didn't want to lose Kariya, but he had a bottom line to work with, and he hoped his captain would see that, understand that, and possibly return for less.

And let's face it, what Murray was asking Kariya to take wasn't chump change, nor was it an insulting offer.

Since signing his big fat contract way back in the 1997-98 season, for which he staged a prolonged holdout to obtain, Kariya had been anything but a player worth $10 mil per season.

His numbers steadily dropped, from 86 points to 67 to 57 prior to last season. Granted, injuries to both himself and teammates contributed to the decline in production, but still, these were hardly the numbers worthy of $10 million per season.

His numbers did improve significantly this past season, 81 points in 82 games, but the questions still remained. Was Kariya worth $10 milllion per season with numbers like that, even in today's offensively deficient game?

For $10 million per season, one expected Kariya to play like a Mario Lemieux or a Wayne Gretzky or a Mark Messier or a Steve Yzerman in their prime. Someone who would play like the best damn player in the game, not someone who occasionally does well enough to crack the top twenty scorers.

For that kind of coin, you expect a leader who can carry a team to post-season glory. Not someone who posted average numbers and only had two notable playoff games during the Ducks remarkable post-season run this past spring.

Factor in the tight payroll, and the number of Ducks teammates due for significant raises, and the need to make a reduced offer to Kariya becomes more paramount.

And there was one more thing to consider. Prior to this past season, the Ducks have been a terrible hockey team, mired near the basement of the Western Conference standings, and faced with slumping attendence as a result. All this while Kariya was their marquee player.

Now, having marched to the Finals, with Kariya more noticeable for his lack of post-season production, the fans were back in droves. That had to also factor in Murray's decision.

Kariya knew this. He had to know this. And he had to know of Murray's desire to keep as much of the team together as possible. And he had to know that there were more than a few folks out there questioning his hefty salary.

He had a real opportunity here to prove himself as more than just another overpaid hockey player. He had a chance to prove to be the type of leader he claimed he could be . He had a chance to put his money where his mouth was.

If Kariya honestly wanted to stay with Anaheim, if he wanted to emulate Yzerman and help make the Mighty Ducks a champion, if he was a true man of character, he would've done the right thing.

He would've taken the lesser deal from the Ducks.

Impossible, you say?

So was the notion of the Dallas Stars being unable to re-sign Derian Hatcher. So was the notion of the Detroit Red Wings kissing Sergei Fedorov goodbye. So was the notion of big-market teams with deep pockets trying to rid themselves of the high-salaried players they happily shelled out big bucks for a year or two ago, like the Flyers with LeClair, the Capitals with Jagr and the Stars with Turgeon and Guerin.

And so was the notion of a marquee talent restricted free agent like Kariya not getting a qualifying offer.

If Kariya had truly believed in the Mighty Ducks, as he professed to a year ago, he wouldn't have so petulantly spurned them. If Kariya truly believed the Ducks could return to the Cup finals again in the near future, he wouldn't have done run off to Colorado.

But his ego was bruised. Murray was daring to suggest he wasn't worth it, and worse, he was suggesting there were other players on the club who had earned raises who needed them just as much, perhaps more in some cases, than Kariya did. Murray was daring to put the team ahead of it's overpaid marquee player.

Kariya sounded like Curtis Joseph in 2002 and Jeremy Roenick in 2001. For those players, it was not about money either, but the chance to win a Stanley Cup.

Neither Cujo or JR have a Cup ring yet, and just because Kariya's run off to join a supposedly better team in Denver doesn't mean he's got an automatic shot at getting one, either.

Remember, the Avs were considered one of the favourites to win the Cup this past spring too, until one of the youngest, lowest paid teams in the NHL upset them in seven games and made them look ordinary in the process.

The Avs had the greatest clutch goalie in the modern era in Patrick Roy manning the pipes then, too. With Roy now retired, they're lacking the most important ingredient in winning the Stanley Cup: proven, quality goaltending.

Colorado can load up on all the firepower they want, but if they can't find that quality goalie, they simply won't win the Cup.

But no one can blame the Avs for landing the former Mighty Ducks. They were available and willing to take less money to play together in Denver, so kudos to Pierre Lacroix for taking one more big shot at the Cup before the current CBA expires and a new era unfolds after September 2004.

Put frankly, this was never about Kariya wanting to make the Mighty Ducks a better team. This was never about emulating Yzerman. This was never about putting team interests ahead of personal ones. This was all about money and ego.

Yes, he may be thrilled about playing for Selanne, and yes, he may indeed be playing for a potential Cup contender in Colorado. He'll happily take Lacroix's chump change and pad his resume on a star-studded roster to go after bigger coin next summer.

But in taking that $1.2 million, he was essentially telling the Mighty Ducks to kiss his ass.

Perhaps Kariya discovered that patterning himself after Steve Yzerman took a lot more work, effort and responsibility that he believed. Maybe he feels he's not cut out to be the leader. Maybe he'll feel much better racking up points on a roster where he doesn't have to be the standout.

But it certainly doesn't say much about his character.

Ich für meinen Teil glaube, dass das Ganze exakt so abgelaufen ist, wie der Verfasser es hier beschreibt. Beweisen kann ich's natürlich nicht, aber es klingt für mich alles sehr plausibel.

Gruß,
Stevie Y

[Nightmare]

Kann das jemand auf deutsch in Kürze zusammenfassen ?!?!

[Jack]

Kann das jemand auf deutsch in Kürze zusammenfassen ?!?!

Ja, bitte!

[HNAT]

Kann das jemand auf deutsch in Kürze zusammenfassen ?!?!

Da steht halt einfach drin, dass Kariya der Meinung des Autors nach ein Lügner und ein Charakterschwein ist!
Etwas überspitzt formuliert!
Er sei nur deswegen solange bei den Ducks geblieben, da kein anderer Verein ihm die 10Mio $ bezahlt hätte!
Außerdem sei er seiner Meinung nach dieses Gehalt auch einfach nicht wert gewesen, da er in keiner Saison überragt hat(wie etwa Lemieux oder Gretzky) und das Team auch nie zu starken POs führen konnte!

Sein Satz, dass ers Yzerman nachmachen will, der solange bei den Red Wings blieb, bis er sie zu nem Spitzenteam machte und den Cup nach Detroit holen konnte, wird also ins Reich der Fabel verwiesen!
Das wird, nach Meinung des Autors, auch dadurch gestützt, dass Yzerman immer an die Red Wings geglaubt hat und daher auch auf Gehalt verzichtet hat, damit sich das Team personell verbessern kann!

Nachdem Karyia in den letzten POs, trotz der Erfolge der Ducks keine guten Play Offs spielte, musste sich der Manager eben entscheiden: Entweder er behält Karyia zu einen überhöhten gehalt oder er hält den Rest des Team und sorgt somit vor, nur ein "One Year Team" wie die Hurricanes oder die Panthers zu sein! Dafür müsste aber Kariya auf Geld verzichten!
Nach den durchwachsenen POs und der Tatsache, dass sich andere Spieler in den Mittelpunkt gespielt haben, war die Entscheidung klar!
Wenn sich Kariya an seinen eigenen Satz(Yzerman) erinnert hätte und daran geglaubt hätte, dass die Ducks in absehbarer Zeit nochmals ins SC Finale einziehen werden, hätte er das reduzierte Angebot angenommen!Das wäre das ehrlichste gewesen...
Da Karyia ,seiner Meinung nach, aber wußte, dass die Kritik an ihm ständig wachsen würde(Umfeld+Gehalt + Leistung) und er auch nicht an die Ducks glaubte, ist er nach Denver gegangen, um dort den Pokal mit seinem Freund Selanne zu holen!
Der Autor behauptet also, dass Kariya ein Egoist ist, dem es nicht darum ging aus den Mighty Ducks ein besseres Team zu machen!
Er hatte aber dort eben seine 10Mio$ sicher!Und als jetzt Kritik aufkam an ihm, hätte er nächste Saison nur verlieren können! Denn: Die Ducks sind zwar mal ins Finale eigezogen, aber es war NICHT sein verdienst...
Deswegen ist er zu den Avalanche, um sich den Ring zu holen!
Dass er dort für nur 1,2Mio Dollar spielt, ist wohl seine Abrechnung mit den Ducks

But in taking that $1.2 million, he was essentially telling the Mighty Ducks to kiss his ass

Es sagt also nix über seinen Charakter aus, dass er nächste Saison für nur 1.2 Mio Dollar spielt!

Ich hoffe, es ist, trotz fortgeschrittener Stunde, wenigstens einigermaßen verständlich!
Ich persönlich denke, dass es durchaus so gewesen sein kann, aber finde es dennoch übertrieben, wie der Autor über Kariyas Charakter lästert!

[Christoph Triller #10]

Was Kariya dazu meint kann man hier nachlesen...

http://www.coloradoavalanche.com/features/feature10363183721.html