As Paul Kariya prepares for his enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame, The Sports Network recently caught up with the normally reclusive former Black Bear to see what he has been up to since retirement and why he has stayed out of the sport that made him famous.


He admitted in the piece by TSN that he hasn’t even put on his hockey gear since his retirement, but would still be playing in the NHL if it were possible.

“If I could, I would still love to be playing professionally, no questions asked,” Kariya lamented about his career being cut short.

The former Hobey Baker winner now spends the majority of his time surfing with his friends and family, away from the game of hockey, while enjoying retirement.  According to Kariya in the video, he suffered great impact to his brain, due to the hits that ended his career.

“At the end of my career when I was tested by a doctor I had dropped over 60-percent [of brain capabilities].  When I was tested by another doctor, just another general test for my age group I was testing in the 25th percentile.  I was a decent student, I got into Harvard, I’m not a 25-percent student.  There was significant damage,” said Kariya on his brain injuries.

Kariya was recently at UMaine for the Hall of Fame ceremony honoring his 1993 National Championship team by the school.  He will be entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in November and will be joined by former linemate Teemu Selanne in the 2017 Class.

To watch the video via TSN, you can click on the button below.

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