Paul Kariya signed a contract with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Thursday and agreed to donate $2 million - about a third of his pay for the season - to charity.
The high-scoring wing, who skated with the team at practice, signed a two-year deal that will pay him $5.5 million for this season and $8.5 million for the next.Minus the $2 million that he will give to charity this season, he'll have a $3.5 million income for the year.
"The salary will be pro-rated (for the 32 games Kariya has missed), and we agreed with Paul that the money, approximately $2 million, will be donated to Orange County charities," said general manager Jack Ferreira.
"I just felt it was time (to sign)," said Kariya, who had been practicing with the Canadian national team, preparing for the Olympics. "I was going to go to Europe with the national team next Monday, and I figured this (late negotiations) was our last kick at the can."
The length of the contract was the main sticking point, with Kariya wanting a short-term deal and Ducks management hoping to sign him for up to seven years. In that regard, Kariya got what he wanted.
Pierre Page, in his first season as coach, and Kariya's teammates were thrilled to see him back.
"He looked good (in practice), and the whole team was very happy to see him," Page said.
"When we saw him in the locker room, there wasn't really a need for words; we just had a team hug," said Teemu Selanne, who teamed with Kariya as one of the NHL's highest-scoring duos last season and has become a lone target for defenders during Kariya's absence.
"This is the greatest Christmas present ever," Selanne said. "You could feel the excitement with him on the ice during practice. It's like a new life for us now."
The Mighty Ducks have an 11-15-6 record and have won just three of their last 15 games, during which they were outscored 49-26.