There was some speculation at the end of the 2009-2010 season that Paul Kariya might've played his last game. He missed the entire 2010-2011 season with post-concussion syndrome, and wisely took that time to evaluate his future in the NHL. There's no use risking your health when it's not needed, and apparently Kariya decided it wasn't needed. He announced his retirement today, citing health reasons.
↵Kariya went out swinging at the NHL, though, criticizing the league for not doing enough to protect players from this career-ending injury:
↵↵↵↵↵"Crosby is a perfect example," said Kariya. "You have the best player in the game playing on a the same team as a guy (Matt Cooke) who is ending guys’ careers with those kinds of hits.
↵"Hopefully, things will change."
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Kariya played fifteen seasons in the NHL, drafted 4th overall in 1993 by the Mighty Ducks. He also played with the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and spent the last three years with the St. Louis Blues. He has 989 points in 989 games played.
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