Steve Kariya

Steve Kariya
Kariya with HPK in December 2008
Born	(1977-12-22) December 22, 1977 (age 39) North Vancouver, BC, CAN
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	NHL Vancouver Canucks SML Ilves Tampere Espoo Blues HPK Hämeenlinna JYP Jyväskylä SEL Frölunda Indians
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1999–2010

Steven Tetsuo Kariya (born December 22, 1977) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey winger and younger brother of retired National Hockey League player Paul Kariya. Kariya was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia.

After playing Junior A with the Nanaimo Clippers, he joined the college hockey ranks with the University of Maine Black Bears. In his senior year, he captained the Black Bears and led them to an NCAA title in 1999.

Having not been drafted by an NHL team, he was signed as a free agent by the Vancouver Canucks and played three-and-a-half years within the organization. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Kariya went overseas to play for Ilves Tampere of the Finnish SM-liiga and won the Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy as the league's top point-scorer. Remaining in Europe, he played one-season stints with the Espoo Blues, HPK, and JYP, with whom he last played during the 2009–10 season. He also played for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien for two seasons.