The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they will be retiring Paul Kariya’s #9 on Sunday, October 21st against the Buffalo Sabres and Scott Niedermayer’s #27 on February 17th against the Washington Capitals.
The retirement of Paul Kariya’s number has been long-awaited by fans of the team as the team’s first superstar created an entire generation of hockey fans in Orange County in the late 1990s through the Ducks Cinderella Stanley Cup Finals run in 2003.
Kariya was the Ducks first ever draft pick (4th overall in 1993) and proceeded to put up 669 points (300G, 369A) over 9 seasons with the club.