The NHL Will Never Let This Happen Again.

#nhl #hockey #torontomapleleafs #montrealcanadiens

in the 2003 NHL Stanley cup final, The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim would face off against the New Jersey Devils. After a blindside hit from Scott Stevens on Paul Kariya, we would witness a comeback that could never happen in the current era of NHL Hockey.

#philadelphiaflyers #anaheimducks

[keithck]

Kariya was an almost generational talent. Just imagine what he would've accomplished without all the concussions. I'm glad he got into the HoF.

[rgold]

The second worst thing for Kariya was no one on the team beat Stevens ass.

[Felale]

"Off the floor, on the board"
Commentators really make these moments iconic in every sport.

[guccilibrarian]

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

[NJHC]

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.

[kevinjung]

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

[IMAVG]

7:30 wow I love that quote
“Off the Floor, On the Board”
That’s some poetic commentating right there

[zweibaer.]

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.

[vmi]

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.

[pomerlain]

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.

[lessthanthreemetal]

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

[keirpatrick]

his career pretty heavily mirrors Lindros'
I actually thought this was a re-upload just because a similar thing happened to Lindros

[lucifershome]

and yet gary bettman will still deny CTE like a ton of former NHLers haven't been diagnosed with it...

[pistachiopoptarts]

That blast that Kariya laid down after getting slammed the way he did is nothing short of legendary.

[davetechme]

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.

[uncledave]

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.

[hykorokana]

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

[viktordominguez]

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

[brutus]

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 .

[bucklau]

Never knew this story as I became an NHL fan years after this era, but wow, what a story. Thank you!!