ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks will retire the numbers of Paul Kariya and Scott Niedermayer during the upcoming season.
Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli announced the
Kariya's No. 9 will go into the Honda Center rafters on Oct. 21, and Niedermayer's No. 27 will be raised Feb. 17.
Kariya spent his first nine NHL seasons with the then-Mighty Ducks, including seven seasons as Anaheim's captain and six seasons alongside Selanne in a prolific scoring duo. Kariya, the first draft pick in franchise history, also helped the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup Final in 2003.
Kariya is still Anaheim's fourth-leading career scorer with 669 points. Although he left the Ducks in a contract dispute shortly after that Western Conference championship run in 2003, Anaheim's fans have long since re-embraced him.
"I am extremely
Kariya still lives and surfs in Orange County, but he rarely made public appearances associated with hockey or the Ducks for several years after he played his last NHL game in 2010. He began to reconnect publicly with the game and the franchise recently, lending his public support to the Ducks' playoff appearances.
After Kariya and Selanne were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame together last year, Henry Samueli broadly hinted the Ducks would retire Kariya's number soon.
Niedermayer spent his final five NHL seasons with the Ducks, scoring 264 points while providing sturdy
Niedermayer's number was retired in 2011 by the New Jersey Devils, where he spent his first 13 seasons and won three Stanley Cup championships. He remained with the Ducks as an executive and coach after his retirement as a player with Anaheim in 2010.
"What an incredible
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Greg Beacham, The Associated Press