Paul Kariya, the original Mighty Ducks icon

He was the original Mighty Duck. He captained the team to its first Stanley Cup Final. He scored one of the most memorable goals, not only in franchise history, but in NHL history. At one point, he held almost every meaningful franchise scoring record.

But we know how Kariya’s Mighty Ducks story ends. Less than a month after missing out on championship glory, Kariya took a $9 million pay cut to chase a Stanley Cup in Colorado. And he failed. Every time he returned to Anaheim, whether it be with the Avalanche, Nashville Predators, or St. Louis Blues, Kariya was greeted by the home fans in attendance with hearty boos.

There was no guarantee that Kariya’s No. 9 would ever hang from the Honda…