I’m going to revise a few of my original posts because the photos were poor and I didn’t know what I was doing on @instagram. This is a throwback to my second post on the great Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya - 

1. Paul is probably the top superstar of Asian heritage to play in the @nhl to date. He was an offensively gifted and electric Japanese Canadian winger from North Vancouver. Most Asian hockey players who were born in the 90s or early 2000s list Paul as their role model growing up. 

2. He reportedly had intense pregame rituals and superstitions, such as not climbing any stairs on game day and ensuring he took the same number of bites when eating. 

3. He has two brothers who played pro and were featured (Steve and Martin) and a sister who is a pro boxer (Noriko). 

4. Selected 4th overall in the 1994 Entry Draft, he played 15 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the @anaheimducks. His many awards include a Hobey Baker award, 2 Lady Byng trophies, and two Olympic medals (Gold and Silver), and a Hall of Fame induction. 

5. He is an avid surfer with an impressive surfboard collection and still resides in Southern California.

Additional fun facts: As a kid in or around 1995, I wrote to him when he was drafted remarking how great it was to see a future Asian NHLer. He sent me this signed card in response (awesome use of a gold pen)! His autographs are super rare, as he does not often sign memorabilia (I’ve been told he does not like when fans sell his autograph for profit). In addition, when I was in college, I briefly met him in Vegas, when he was walking beside @peterforsbergofficial and @j_sakic19 in the @mgmgrand.