Steve Kariya vows to work hard
By Larry Mahoney, Of the NEWS Staff
Steve Kariya became a Hobey Baker Award finalist and the captain of an NCAA
championship team through hard work and steady improvement.
He is hoping to continue that trend with the National Hockey League's Vancouver
Canucks. Kariya signed a free-agent deal with the Canucks two weeks after his
University of Maine Black Bears won the NCAA title.
He has one goal through his first four games with the Canucks while playing on
a line with NHL veterans Alexander Mogilny and Andrew Cassels. He is plus-one
and has nine shots on goal.
"I'm fairly pleased with my start,'' said the 21-year-old Kariya. "I've had
some good shifts out there and some bad shifts. I know I have to stay patient
and stay positive. I try to keep improving every day in practice and carry that
out in games.'' He said it requires a major adjustment.
"Everything happens quicker. You've got to learn to react and create more room
for yourself,'' said Kariya, who was tied for second in the NHL in preseason
scoring with two goals and eight assists in six games. "I'm getting more
comfortable as we go along.'' Perhaps the biggest difference, said Kariya, is
the goaltending.
"The goalies are much better. You've got to pick your spot because they move so
quickly and cover so much of the net. You have to shoot hard and get lots of
opportunities,'' added Kariya. He enjoys his linemates and has learned from
them.
"It's a dream come true playing on a line with guys as talented as these
guys,'' said Kariya. "That makes the transition a lot easier. They see the ice
so well. I love playing with guys who are creative offensively and who like to
try different things.''
Playing on the same team with Mark Messier has also been beneficial, according
to Kariya."It's a great honor. He's one of the best players of all time and I'm
trying to learn as much as I can from him. He gives me a few helpful hints
every week, things to do on and off the ice. He's a great captain and a great
guy,'' said Kariya.
Kariya was replaced briefly on the line by Todd Bertuzzi in Wednesday night's
4-3 overtime loss to Calgary and he acknowledged that he wasn't playing well.
"I was forcing too many passes. I was trying to make something out of nothing.
One thing I learned from that is to chip the puck by the defenseman or dump it
in [if nothing is there],'' said Kariya. "It's not the first time I've been
benched. I was benched as a senior captain at Maine last year. I've got to try
to turn it into a positive.''
He said older brother Paul, an NHL all-star for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,
gave him a good idea of what to expect last
summer.
"He told me I'd have lots of highs and lows this year. I remember following him
his rookie year and, as great a player as he is, he had some difficult times,''
said Kariya. "It has been the same for me. You've got to persevere through it
and keep working hard.''
Steve Kariya, in turn, passed along words of advice to younger brother Martin,
who will make his college debut for the Black Bears against the University of
Minnesota on Saturday night.
"I talked to him a few days ago and told him to go out, have fun and play his
own game,'' said Steve. "I skated with him all summer and he's a great passer.
He sees the ice really well. I'm sure the Maine fans will love his style of
play. But he's got to be patient. He's going to have some ups and downs and
he's got to grow from them.''
He predicted that his younger brother will be an outstanding player at Maine
some day.