Return to old stick snaps Paul Kariya’s slump

It may work great for the league’s leading goal scorer – the Islanders’ Mark Parrish – but it was bad news for Anaheim’s Paul Kariya.

It was only after ditching this season’s hottest stick, the graphite and rubber one-piece Easton Synergy stick, that former UMaine star Kariya finally broke out of a 10-game scoring slump, scoring five goals in four games.

Parrish has used that same stick to score 13 goals this season, saying its “low kick point” allows a player to “use less effort to get a harder shot.”

The stick is also unique because it is made in one piece, while most sticks require an attachable blade.

But Kariya, one of the purest shooters in the game, needed to go back to his old two-piece to return to his old self.

Like Parrish, he found the new stick to be lighter and more flexible, but said he didn’t have any idea where the puck was going when he shot it. “We talked about it,” Mighty Ducks coach Brian Murray said. “I know why he wanted to do it, but I don’t think he needs any extra zip to his shot.”

Kariya said his trusty old stick gives him more control, even though the puck doesn’t come off it as fast.

NOTEBOOK: Dallas Stars veteran Mike Modano thinks it’s tough on young, physical players trying to make a name for themselves.

He believes a division might be forming between so-called “goons” who aspire to more, and elite players who respect each other based on past performance.

“The coaches tell guys to go out and be physical on certain players and make it difficult; make it hard and to force them to take them out of the game,” Modano said. “So when you are hearing that, you are trying to go out and play and have respect.

“To have respect or to lose your job; that’s kind of the gray area that a lot of players are in right now. If they don’t go out and do what they are told, they are not going to be playing. They are not going to dress and they are not going to be making the living they have been.”