Is Paul Kariya's Hockey Career Over?

Paul Kariya will not play in the upcoming NHL season. After consulting with concussion specialist Dr. Mark Lovell, Kariya has decided to sit out the 2010-2011 season due to post-concussion syndrome.

Prior to this announcement, Kariya was being pursued by friend and former teammate Teemu Selanne to join him in signing with the Anaheim Ducks. 

Kariya, a free agent who played the last three seasons with the Blues, has a history of concussions—his most recent coming on Dec. 27 when he was elbowed by Buffalo Sabres player Patrick Kaleta. Kariya missed six consecutive games after the incident.

Most concussion experts say that the effects of blows to head are cumulative, with each injury worse than the one that came before. The long-term effects of concussions are not truly known since they have not been studied in depth until recently.

In November 1996, he was elbowed by Toronto defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Schneider was suspended for three games for the hit, while Kariya was forced to sit out two games.

In February 1998, Gary Suter delivered a two-handed crosscheck to Kariya's face. Kariya was defenseless on the crosscheck as he was in the process of scoring a goal when Suter delivered the blow.

The concussion resulting from the hit cost Kariya a chance to play for the Canadian Olympic squad in Nagano as well as the final 28 games of the NHL season. Suter was suspended for four games. It was reported that this was the fourth concussion of Kariya's hockey career.

In 2003, Scott Stevens crushed Kariya with a hit that left him unconscious on the ice. The hit was deemed clean by the NHL since Stevens led with his shoulder and not his elbow. In a career full of powerful hits, it was one of Stevens' most devastating checks. Kariya left the ice after the hit, but returned to score a goal later in the game.

If Kariya would retire now, he would end his career with 989 points. Over his 15 years in the NHL, he has scored 402 goals and added 587 assists. He played in six NHL All-Star games, was presented with two Lady Byng trophies, and won a gold medal at the 2002 Olympics. 

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