Ex-Duck Kariya primed for comeback

Anyone seen Paul Kariya whizzing around on rollerblades lately?

The former Ducks captain recently left the residence he still maintains in Orange County for a visit to his hometown of Vancouver, and has begun ice skating in preparation for the opening of training camp with the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 12.

The summer rollerblading is nothing out of the norm for Kariya, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but it was particularly important this year given that the speedy left winger is attempting to rebound from two serious hip injuries that required separate surgeries. Kariya appeared in only 11 games for the Blues last season, the last on Nov. 5, but put up 15 points before being diagnosed with a problem involving his left hip socket and a torn labrum.

Set to turn 35 in October, if you can believe that, Kariya is entering what might be a make-or-break season, given that he is in the final year of an $18 million contract signed with St. Louis in 2007.

The first entry-draft selection in Ducks history, in 1993, Kariya bolted for the Colorado Avalanche in 2003, after former Ducks general manager Bryan Murray opted not to extend Kariya a $10 million qualifying offer.

The move, in the wake of the Ducks having made an unexpected run to Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils and an impassioned Kariya speech during a subsequent rally at what was then Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, probably alienated Ducks fans forever.

Still, despite his many detractors, Kariya remains a huge part of Ducks history. Here’s hoping he returns to good health and completes an impressive career in style.