or stamkos without some of those he endured like that torn meniscus in November 2016 for example. Obviously uts incredible that despite this he is still putting up 40 ish goals a year on average and hoping he keep at it @@lucarossi9453
@@Samuel_Gonzalez35 one of the best! Besides his call when Sakic gave Bourque The Cup to raise, his call on my childhood idol, Don Mattingly's postseason home run call will always make my eyes tear up. "Whoa, hang on to the roof! Good-bye! Home run, Don Mattingly!"
One of the most bad ass moments in sports history. Scary how he just was flattened. Then doesn't just come back and score but absolutely rifles it past one of best goalies ever.
@@hypn0298 Which is really strange when you think about it. The whole point of those scrums is to police the ice when the officials fail to. Now that these hits are actually getting called with some regularity, all the scrums do is create offsetting penalties
@@hypn0298 It was more than a really big hit. Guys stuck up for other guys all the time. It was the biggest game you could be in not some regular season game. Sure it’s more prominent now but it’s not like it never happened in the 2000’s
That Kariya goal to make it 4-1 is insane. What a comeback, what a story! Until you stop and realize that he wasn't even conscious enough to remember it... That is terrifying. His body is completely on autopilot - one hit away from potentially being killed
Yeah, okay buddy. That's not how concussions work. Having a concussion doesn't make you any more likely to be "killed" from another similar hit to the head. The reason athletes are pulled when they have concussions is due to longer recovery times if they continued to play, and long-term complications associated (not guarenteed) with immediate return to play, like CTE.
@@sawmill035 Three words is all it took for me to realize I was about to read the lamest shit I've read all year. My comment was exaggerating to emphasize the severity of the situation.
@@guccilibrarian4728 No it wasn't. If you were exaggerating, you would have exaggerated the _actual_ symptoms/repressions of continuing to play with concussions. For example, if I were to exaggerate the symptoms of the flu, would I say "If I don't get meds for this soon, I'll have to chop my foot off!" That makes no sense because foot pain is not a symptom of the flu. Likewise, death, or near death from a similar hit is not an attribute of concussions. Thus, it makes no sense to exaggerate it. It's just a nonsensical statement.
I’m a die hard devils fans and the magic around this moment still gives me chills. It’s easily the greatest hockey comeback story I’ve ever seen and probably ever will. I remember watching it as a child in utter disbelief and amazement. My family was speechless. No matter how badly we wanted to win that game, we just saw a guy come back to life before our eyes, shake it off and come down the ice in full confidence and rip one of the best slap shots you’ll ever see, from way out, past the renowned greatest goaltender in nhl history. And what was so strange about it was that the second you saw him enter the zone, the second he wound up for that shot… you just knew. It was like he had the power of god. It was going in the net. We were scared for kariya when he was laying motionless on the ground. We were scared for ourselves when we saw the way he came back. Off the floor and on the board is legendary.
Grew up in Orange County, by far my favorite player of all time. Guy would be put up freak numbers in this era of hockey. This goal remains one of the most hype sports moments I have ever witnessed
Same. Couldn’t agree more. Also, I was born and raised in the OC so our experiences were likely pretty similar if our age brackets were fairly close. 🤙🏻
Gary Thorne is the best hockey commentator to call an NHL game. If you go back through the core highlights up until the lockout, you will hear his calls the majority, if not more than anyone elses.
This hit always makes me so mad to watch and knowing what it did for his career. This was an epic moment. One of the biggest FU's in history, but I'm glad it won't ever happen again.
not really dude. if Stevens had really wanted to murder this guy he would have. Paul Kariya was super damaged goods before this hit, this hit just practically made his concussion history come full circle. This is the hit that really FU Kariya's career not Stevens' and it was cheap shot mind you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tid_86o9M-o.html
@@GeorgeOrwell-tp8dw My sentence might have been worded poorly, but I didn't claim it ended his career. It surely didn't help and probably expedited things, though. It's just a shame overall. For him, for fans, for the game.
Honestly should've been Stevens last game in the NHL. Its absolutely shocking what players got away with back then. The fact he was STILL IN THE GAME after throwing that career altering dirty hit to the head is fucking absurd.
If you were lucky enough to be growing up in what I would call the Colorado/Detroit hockey days, Kariya was a name you'll never forget. Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era: goon shot galore. Too see him play in this generation would be something special. He would be an absolute megastar today.
Kariya scored one of the most memorable Stanley Cup goals, and to think he doesn't even remember it. Those 3 days that incuded Games 6 and 7 of the series are completely blacked out from his memory. There is no way he would have been allowed to come back in today's game. That shows how very little we knew about concussions back then. It was considered simply "getting your bell rung" and then you simply shook it off and kept playing.
I think Kariya was actually gone for a few seconds there. You can see the breath fog up his visor when he comes back. This was the equivalent of skating full force into a brick wall
Kariya was my favorite player growing up. I remember watching this live, and I'll never forget the roller coaster. Never knew what he went through until decades later. Incredibly tragic what athletes go through and fans will never know about most, if any, of it.
@@frozenrabbit5641 yeah I never liked Lindros. He was a prick in junior, he was a prick when he got drafted, and he was a prick in the NHL. He also made a career of skating with your head down through open ice, its on you at that point. This was much more of a "headhunt" and I actually liked Kariya.
One of the most, if not THE MOST electrifying goals in playoff history! The amount of times we tried to recreate that slapshot and capture that thrilling moment was astronomical. That playoff run for the Mighty Ducks was a great one too. The first time I was able to watch a Stanley Cup Finals in its entirety growing up
It made us kids get back up after getting your bell rung. That may have not been right, but it made you want to be tough. I took a a hit that left me with deer legs in a tourny. i played a game later that afternoon and scored and played great off pure adrenaline. That being said, this video overplays that hit. You take those risks when you lace up at that level.
i think it speaks volumes that a majority of modern hockey fans like myself remember the 03 finals, not for the Devils and Stevens winning the cup, but for Kariya’s insane determination and willpower to come back from that hit
Nah, I am a devils fan, I remember it for the Stanley Cup win by the Devils. I also remember they gave the Conn Smyth award to The Ducks Goalie. First time that has happened ever, complete bullsh*t. The hit is allowed in this NHL, look at Trouba’s hit on Meier in first round of Dev/ Rag game this year. It was a complete hit to the head and yet no penalty on Trouba.
@@devilsmetsfan6393 Redwings fan here. I still remember Stevens hit on Kozlov in game 2 of the '95 Stanley Cup finals. There were 3 other goalies who won the Conn Smythe with a losing team. Roger Crozier who played with the Redwings , lost to Montreal in '66, Glenn Hall who played for St. Louis, lost to Montreal in '68 and Ron Hextall who played for Philly, lost to Edmonton in '87. Reggie Leach was the only non goalie to win the Conn Smythe with a losing team , Philly lost to Montreal in '76.
Im gonna be honest. I watched this and had totally forgotten about it. I do remember the devils and brodeur winning another cup though. I only remember winners personally so i can’t relate.
The look on Stevens face when he came back on the ice . He was thinking I should have got my elbow up higher . For a guy that concussed so many players , I guess it’s only fitting that his career was shortened by concussion issues .
The players sign the dotted line, they know the risks. It's a contact sport. Same with NFL, any hit could result in serious injury including parallelization and even death. Even in middle school and high school football your parents sign those waivers. It's the nature of a sport with physical contact.
this is true but gary straight up said that there is no evidence connecting hockey related concussions to CTE like.... yeah there is.... obviously the players agreed to it and it is the nature of the game but denying it altogether is just wrong, gary. i mean the NFL actually somewhat cares about CTE in its players. @@yakivpopavich
@@yakivpopavich for decades the NHL and NFL did everything they can to deny CTE and long term serious effects of concussions, even so much as shut down studies. For a while all players knew signing that contract meant at most breaking a bone or knocking out for a few seconds
I know this video was about Kariya and concussions but the commentator call with the goal is one of the best calls in sports history, not sure why its always overlooked when people talk about amazing calls.
Scott Stevens was as big a goon as there ever was. Just a mean SOB. Telling that after blatant attempt to murder Kariya it didn't look like any of the other Ducks went after him.
@@kevinthekev1979 I'd argue this hit and the Lindros one are different. This is a bit late and kind of a blindside hit. Its not great. Lindros' hit was way cleaner, and the reason it was so bad was because Lindros himself had his head down and took the hit in the head as a result. I like Stevens, but this is a predatory hit on Kariya, for sure. The Lindros' hit... I don't see what other choices Stevens had besides what happened. Lindros skated right through centre ice with the puck, head down.... thats on him. Also, he shouldn't have even been on the ice anyways. Whoever cleared him medically for that game ruined his career, not Scott Stevens.
Scott Stevens wasn't a goon every year. During the 1993/94 season, Scott led the Devils in Total Points with 78. Ahead of Stephane Richer, Claude Lemieux and John MacLean.
I don't really like softening up sports but something like that where the dude was clearly trying to injure him that's not sports, that's malice and pretty fucking disgusting.
Even back in 2003, that was a clear missed call. He didn't have the puck for a good 1-2 seconds when Stevens leveled him. That was interference, clear as day.
I was at that game. I was walking back to my seats waiting at the end of the tunnel right above the blueline when Kariya was skating up. THUD!!! Man that was a hard hit...you could hear it and feel it. The crowd gasped and was stunned. I remember how fired up the fans were when Kariya unexpectedly returned. And when he scored the place went ballistic One of the best games ive been to. The Ducks won all their home games(3) but so did NJ (4) and that was that The Devils were a machine during the 10 yrs span of 94 to 04
Another well-produced, thought provoking video! The ending is a classic, but knowing what we know today it makes you wonder was it worth it? Keep up the great work! As we get ready for a new season -- and I can't wait -- it is really cool to remember the rich history this great sport has to offer.
It was worth it for Stevens lol, why does everyone have such a hard time leaving the past alone. Everything in the video was legal, Stevens is a legit hockey legend, it would be basically criminal now but get over it.
Great video, the fact that Anaheim used that ice level shot of him celebrating the goal for years while the man himself couldn't remember it is tragic. I remember feeling so worried for him watching that game, it wasn't the first time he'd had concussion problems, I would not have been surprised if he had never played again. Seeing him come back out like nothing happened was as thrilling as it was horrifying. One minor correction, that first round series against Detroit was hardly hard-fought and definitely not 7 games, it was a 4 game sweep, one of two they had that run, the other against Minnesota in the 3rd round.
I remember this game. Kariyas goal is one of my fondest memories as a ducksfan, even with the backstory. When he scored that goal it broke the momentum -meter. We all felt that no matter what the ducks could never lose that game with the momentum they had there.
Hardest slap-shot of all time. There is no question. You can tell me Bourque, Z, none of them had THAT type of emotion, energy, anger, whatever you want to call it.
I’ve just got into hockey about late into 2023 and watching this video, seeing him pass out, the breath that fogger his helmet visor completely gave me chills. So glad this won’t happen again, sad that legendary breathtaking games like these wont happen again.
I remember being 13 years old and staying up late for all the Ducks games and this moment gave me chills and does to this day. Too bad they couldn't have won it all
As a Red Wings fan, I remember going into that 1997 series against the Ducks. No one was getting too cocky. The Ducks were basically a one-line team which should be no match for Detroit's depth at the time, but that one line had Paul Kariya and Teemu Selane, so that line was certainly capable of winning a playoff series all by itself. In the end Detroit swept the Ducks, but it was no ordinary sweep, as three of the four games went to overtime. Clearly it was a close series despite the final series score, and the Ducks earned a lot of respect for playing such a tough series in their playoff debut against the eventual champions.
The 2003 series was basically the "bizarro world" version of the 1997 series. The Red Wings once again dominated play while firing pucks at a brick wall...only to see their efforts go unrewarded this time around as Anaheim kept getting the final goal, instead. It was one of the most notoriously stolen series I had ever watched. It made me sick.
@@SamPedroCactus I disagree. NHL goaltenders, much like MLB ace pitchers, can shut an opposing offense down singlehandedly. This was especially true during the Dead Puck Era (1994-2004). I put the Game 2 loss on Curtis Joseph for letting in some bad goals, but otherwise there was nothing else for the Red Wings to do differently.
@@michaelvandeginste3497 I get you. I think the Wings were the better team most of the series but can't look back on it as close because the Wings never won a game. Game 2 was interesting, I remember Krog and Thomas scored late in the 3rd but can't find any video of the game itself.
@@SamPedroCactus I get you, too. I think dropping the first two at home kind of broke them. They remembered the stressful first-round grind vs. Vancouver the year before and were like, "ugh, not this again!"
Man, it’s awful he got hurt so bad but this is one of the greatest goals scored in the Stanley Cup Finals. “Off the floor, on the board” Paul Kariya 🥰🥰🥰he was a huge factor in the 2002 Canadian gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
As a life long Kings & Pens fan I was never a Paul Kariya fan but watching that live when it happened was unbelievable. Everyone thought he was all but dead & he comes back to do that. Amazing!
He was one of my favorite players, always will be. I watched him at a few games... off the bench and in 3 strides already up to top speed. Such an explosive skater.
I’m super new to hockey but mad respect and admiration for Kariya’s sheer will power and determination. Imagine you couldn’t do what you love or even remember it. It would be so depressing and devastating. This also made me sad and tear up a little. I know shit happens by accident or not in hockey and this is naive, but still I wish everyone would still be safe and not suffer from injuries while doing what they love. Happy to just watch hockey for now.
I wouldn't mind being in an alternate universe where Scott Stevens got his career cut short instead of Kariya... jus sayin. One of those players was an unreal talent. The other was just an ill-spirited goon who could occasionally put together a true top line performance. Totally floated by a stacked team for his career's most notable moments. We saw what he became when the dynasty crumbled. Stevens is easily among my all-time least favorites. At least guys like Derek Boogaard were good dudes off the ice... Stevens is just a prick by his very nature.
His career was cut short. This wasn't Kariya's first or last concussion. That's a scummy comment. Both players were supreme talents, one captained his team to several cup wins, the other was one of the more gifted forward in the game You clearly know NOTHING about the nonsense you spew here
Too many talents had their careers shortened by too many thugs. The game suffered as a result. Not only Kariya, but also Mike Bossy. Mario Lemieux soured on the game because of the blatant hitting. Any fan of any team can name at least one player who should have been around longer but wasn't because of head shots.
Such a delusional take. You're not a pro hockey player, you're not cool because grown men you fantasize about on tv used to hit people hard, you're a concussed child who never grew up. How many youth hockey programs around the country are struggling because parents now adays value their kid's future over their own delusions, and would rather put them in a sport that doesn't permanently damage their brains. How much do you think the level of hockey is going to decline because fewer people are playing it young? It's time to do some growing up of your own. @@friedsensei
@@84SuperBeast Not everyone. I'm a fan of the game of hockey before I'm a fan of any one particular team, and late hits to the head with the intent to injure (or even unintentionally kill) are bad for the game, no matter what jersey the teams are wearing
I remember watching that game live on tv. I was never a big Paul Kariya fan. But that was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in hockey. Still gives me chills just watching the highlight.
@@GhostbustersPhone8489 Kariya in today's NHL would be there among Draistl, MacKinnon, Matthews... (I won't pretend McDavid). Just look at his stats in his NCAA Freshman year! That type of player, in the 90-00's area, could not impose their style of play like they do today. Teams needed big hitting forwards like Lindros and Forsberg, because of what defensemen were allowed to do. But even that physical type of game was hard on them, and both Forsberg and Lindros had shortened careers.
I know someone that used to know Stevens. He said he's one of the biggest dicks that was ever in the NHL. Supposedly, he would tell people off if they saw him in public and spoke to him. I'm sure it wasn't everyone, all the time. But still. If you want to play the highest level of a sport, expect people to walk up to you in public. So basically, Stevens wasn't just a bad person on the ice.... he was simply a bad person that took advantage of the lack of head hunting rules. The worst part about his play, a lot of these hits that you see from him that really hurt guys, they're mostly blatant interference. So even if the head was legal to hit, they still should've been penalties. But, like true rigged BS, the only people that got protected by the NHL were Mario, Gretzky, Jagr, Crosby, and McDavid. All players that NHL has basically sponsored.
You are clearly lying, as he's one of the nicest people to have ever played in the league, actually. After games, when other players would rush to the team bus, he would hold the bus for hrs, making sure to sign every autograph, greet every fan, pose for every picture, until all the kids and fans were happy. You should delete this blatant lie.
@@rigafraction1653 All I did was convey second hand knowledge. If I wanted to lie about him, I would've just said that I met him and he said x,y, and z. But I didn't. All I did was restate something someone that worked with him, told me about him. To be fair, I'm a Flyers fan and the same guy worked with Pronger and told me that he's one of the biggest dicks too. He named 3 people. Stevens, Pronger, and Getzlaf. He said similar things about all of them. However, he also said that they treated the staff worse than the fans. And as someone that has met Pronger, I can say that it's easy to be Mr. Nice Guy when everyone is watching. He was nice and said hello and signed my nephew's jersey. For all I know, he was cussing us all out, in his head. So, even if you're being truthful, and somehow know all of that stuff, it doesn't change a thing. I didn't say that I know him. Maybe the guy that worked with them was lying. Maybe he was pissed about something those guys did to him. I don't know. I just know what I'm told. Anyway, the rest is 100% objective. Like I said, he was objectively a terrible human being, on the ice. So, even if all of that stuff you said is true (which I could simply throw that back at you and call you a liar), it doesn't change who he was when it actually mattered (in terms of his career). When everyone was watching, he was a piece of garbage. He could've waited for an autograph line for 40 days and nights and it doesn't make him less of a scumbag where it actually mattered. The ice. The rest is hearsay.
The NHL is still more or less in the dark ages when it comes to player safety. Changes are happening but it's not enough and implementation is slow. I really do hope nothing like this happens again... but I fear it may be inevitable.
Yup, don't remember if it was 2018 or 19, but soon after the Caps Cup win Michal Kempny had a similar situation happen. Took a head-shot, came back from concussion protocol, scored, and then it turned out later that he was blacked out the whole time. Obviously it wasn't as bad a hit as this, he didn't get knocked out or lose three days, but he still should never have been let back on the ice. Then again, I also don't think players should be allowed to play through fractures the way they always seem to during the playoffs, so idk maybe I'm just soft.
I love to watch scoring in hockey. The incredible precision of the score, loud sirens, and the players flying around the ice on their skates in celebration is just awesome.
I'm not even a hockey fan and just wow! Also, I now know why they don't beat the crap out of each other anymore. Because it's hockey not MMA? When did that end? Remember how football used to be? The entire defense used to pile up on one single player. Talk about a polyester pile-up! Did I imagine that? Or did they actually used to pile into a 9-10 man tangle and spend the next few minutes untangling? I'm talking the 1970's
Ik it wasn't right to let him come back but that slapshot still gives me goosebumps. He came back from the dead and gave 'em a f8ck you with a capital F and buried that shit in the net. I watched this live as a kid and you can't script anything better than this
Thanks, but I'll go with what I see with my own eyes and the video narration. 3:55 "blatant hit to the head" "clear intent to injure". Stevens was a goon who did the same thing to Eric Lindros.@@rigafraction1653
2003 it was a legal hit. You cant look at older eras through the lens of today's rules. 2 line passes were also illegal, you could hook, you could hold, goalies could play the puck in the corners, there were illegal stick curves; totally different game
@@michaelmignone5869 man the comment section on this video has really restored my faith haha , well said dude. Also, there's zero chance this dude doesn't have to google what a two line pass is.
@@michaelmignone5869it was a blindsided hit to the head. There's no excusing that even if the refereeing was shit back then. Slavery was legal back in the days, would you try to justify it now?
I remember when I first got to the age where we started checking around this time, guys would get absolutely annihilated, clearly go out, and then get back to the bench where the coach would just ask how many fingers he was holding up, and then get back on the ice. Knowledge about head injuries has certainly come a long way
I remember watching this hit on TV as it happened. I saw him regain consciousness with the fogged up visor close-up. All my little elementary school brain could process was, "wow, that was a big hit." As I rewatch this now, I remember how this was clearly a dirty and downright dangerous hit. Leading with the elbow and shoulder like that demonstrates clear intent to have Kariya absorb all of the impact. The fact that Kariya did not even have the puck makes me regret not being more angry about it at the time. Despite being hailed as a leader and captain at the time, a guy like Stevens would not even stay on a team in this current era. Frankly, that is for the better. I was rooting for the Devils at the time, but I got goosebumps when I saw Kariya score on that otherworldly shot.
This man’s RU-vid channel is a godsend. Always insightful and entertaining. I love how his videos are usually about small details that are overlooked but have big consequences. Shout out to hockey psychology
As a Devils fan, and generally a lover of a good open ice hit. I don't want to see anyone injured. Yeah, it's the style for hockey players to play through anything. But the brain. No. Kariya doesn't remember the goal he scored.
CTE and concussion concerns and the actions the DOPS have taken have already seriously changed the game. Compare a decade or so ago's seasons stats to now. 50% or higher reduction in the number of fighting majors and hits. There is no line brawls anymore. There are few if any goalie fights and most are prevented from occurring. Enforcement and fighting as a whole is almost completely and totally phased out, less than 12 players left in the league without visors. What's interesting is the studies on head injuries in hockey have shown that the majority of them come from hits and body checks, not fights. Based on that and how hitting is now being looked at way more closely I would suspect hitting numbers to continue to decline as well as fighting too obviously. I wouldn't be shocked if they just took out all physical contact and within a decade or two the NHL and AHL were like some European leagues. Stick checking only. I'm all for player safety, but hockey had always been a physical sport. There is a lot more speed and skill now in the NHL but it's a shame the grit and tenacity and mean energy is almost all gone.
I am eternally grateful to Scott Stevens and the Devils for eventually stopping the atrocity of the Stanley Cup going to a ridiculous place like Disneyland.
The nhl should have set an example out of Steven’s. He was nothing more than a goon who ended so many careers. Predatory hits like the one on Paul Kariya have no place in hockey. They should have kick him out earlier.
@@GhostbustersPhone8489 A goon is a guy who cheap-shots other players; Stevens was definitely a goon. (If you want to say you can't be good and also a goon, then sure, by that definition he isn't. He was definitely very good. But one of the biggest cheap-shot artists I've ever seen. Easily THE biggest if we're only counting top-6 Fs, top-4 D. I was born in StL but grew up in WSH, so while I have a soft spot for the Blues, I'm a die-hard Caps fan; naturally watching East Coast games much more than West, I may be underrating Pronger. Based on what I've heard, he's way up there too. But I simply didn't watch him enough.)
I am not an athlete. As a child growing up I played at sports. By age 13 I was allowed to participate in games as long as I didn't practice. Or, I could practice, but not play. Contact sports were not allowed. With that said I have suffered many concussions. The first concussion set off migraine headaches which I still suffer to this day. The second concussion I suffered included fracturing my skull in 3 places. I remember nothing of the next seven days, even though I was awake and talkative for the final five days of the seven. At age 48 I was eating lunch with coworkers. I awoke on my back looking at one of my coworkers who was getting ready to give me CPR. I had no outward signs of a seizure so after I spent a week in the hospital I was sent home. A seizure was suspected. A few months later I was sitting in my office when I woke up at my desk with a broken rib and I lost control of my bladder. This time I had a seizure as a result of numerous concussions. After the second seizure, I was placed on anti-seizure medications. I suffered an additional concussion while traveling overseas and was hospitalized overnight. In 2017 I caught my heel on a stairway and struck my head. I was taken to the hospital by paramedics. I suffered a concussion and I was bruised and scraped from head to toe. After x-rays and a CAT scan, I was sent home. The next morning I couldn't stop the spasms in my left arm. Realizing I was having a seizure my wife took me back to the hospital. I had two more seizures that morning. After more X-rays, another CAT scan, and a night in the ICU, I was sent home. The following morning while getting out of bed I wound up on the floor and couldn't get up. The paramedics were called again. One of the paramedics immediately realized I was having a stroke. I had a major stroke, a minor stroke, several TIAs, and several seizures. It turned out I had a subdural hematoma. I spent close to a month in the ICU and another two months in rehabilitation. I have had the misfortune of experiencing more than my fair share of concussions. I am not a football or hockey player. I do know the downside of concussions. I know how close I came to not surviving. I know the impact it has had on my family. I know the impact it has had on my life. It is too, too bad it has taken "having your bell rung" and "seeing stars" recognized as concussions and treated as major injuries.
It looked like a brutal but clean hit, Koriya had his head down, he took out Lindros a giant too.He was brutal but not a dirty player, thats what was allowed,. Lindros dealt out a lot of concussions before Stevens ended his reign, Kariya Lindros Stevens, all super players,all carreers ended because of concussions.
Maybe I’m just old school but that hit was clean. For people who have never played it may look dirty. But take this into account. Kariya: 5’10” @ 180 lbs (which numbers are sometimes inflated for smaller players on the roster) Vs Stevens 6’2” @ 215 lbs Stevens had his elbow down, led with his shoulder, did not charge (take more than 3 strides), did not leave his feet. And saying it was “blatant” interference is ridiculous. Kariya was within a stick length away from Stevens when he passed the puck. The only true infraction was that this was a blindside hit. Which, in the old days, was sort allowed. It prevented forwards from feeling like they could just dangle coast to coast and not keep their head on a swivel. It’s unfortunate that Kariya was injured. But acting like this is the worst infraction of the rules ever to be on display in the NHL is a joke argument.
Kings fan but loved Kariya and Selanne. Embarrassing that all this was allowed. Back then if players did not come back after concussion their commitment and loyalty was questioned by everyone. The fans were just as much the problem as the league was. Glad to hear that he’s enjoying his life as an avid surfer in SoCal.
Scott Stevens blindsiding the smallest man on the ice when he didn't even have the puck is such a pathetic, disgusting move. Why not just swing the stick and take his head off? It was about as respectable as Tonya Harding attempting to take out Kerrigan. Stevens permanently tarnished his reputation here.
This is an ignorant comment. In that day and age it was a LEGAL hit. Many people said Kariya "got caught admiring his pass." When Scotty Stevens was on the ice everyone knew to keep their head on swivel or he might catch you. Kariya got caught with a clean, open ice hit. Here's a bit of trivia for you: in Stevens' entire career, he took a total of 4 elbowing penalties. That's it. He wasn't a dirty player (at least not in a Devils uniform). He played the game the same way as everyone did in that time period.
@@TheStromzilla Everything you said is subjective, other than the elbowing stat. Scott was a predatory player who looked for players in vulnerable positions with the intent of hurting them, legal or not. Kariya took three full strides after releasing that pass before Stevens put a shoulder into his head. Three. I don't care if Stevens had 4 elbowing penalty minutes or 400; that hit on Kariya is a pure p*ssy move by a supposed tough man defenseman. That's probably why Tie Domi called him the biggest phony he ever played against. "That guy used to target all the best players on my teams and I always tried to fight him, and he would never fight,” Domi said. “He never, ever answered the bell."
@@Greatscott24 Look up Tie Domi Scott Neidermeyer and then tell me how you'd take that POS's word about who was a dirty player. Check how many suspensions each player served for dirty hits. Stevens was feared, but his hits were clean by the standard of the game when he played it. The idea that Stevens shied away from fighting is utterly laughable. He probably didn't want to waste time with Domi, the pint-sized piss-ant. FYI: As a lifelong Devils fan, I was on my feet cheering for Kariya in this moment. I don't want people getting hurt in the game and I'm glad for the rules changes. But throwing shade at former players for playing in a legal manner in their era is a crappy thing to do.
@@TheStromzilla we can agree to disagree. As a wings fan, I feel pretty similarly about Kronwall as I do Stevens, and that puts me in the minority. Almost all of his hits were legal as well, but I really hate the intent to injure.
He feels no remorse. Hits like that were allowed and checks like that were his bread and butter. I don't approve of it and it's scary to watch but that's just how the game was back then.
@@keithck3720He knew exactly what he was doing with those hits, complete attempt to seriously injure. Just because it was technically allowed, shouldn't be a reason to head hunt.
He felt worse than anyone in the building after the clean hit, his thoughts were, "get up, Paul". He was relieved when Kariya returned and played the rest of the series to win the Cup.
@@keithck3720 Partly true, he felt bad about it, but it was part of the game, injuries happen and he's not there to babysit the other players, he's there to play tough hockey
This is a straight Hajime no Ippo moment. Pure instinct. The will to win. The will to push his teammates to the cup. A crazy guy and a pure soul. Nothing can match that.
A blindside hit, Stevens was right in front of him and Kariya skated directly into him while looking over his shoulder. That was straight up, not from behind or the blindside in any way
That was a cheap shot, even back then. Can't believe the league let Stevens get away with it, let alone his teamates. At least this tarnishes Steven's legacy, he was a dominate defenseman, but will only be remembered as goon. Closest thing we get to justice.
