Paul Kariya is the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award. He notched 25 goals and 75 assists for 100 points in 39 games during his only full season of college hockey, helping the Black Bears to an impressive 42-1-2 record and the 1992-93 NCAA and Hockey East titles. He won the 1992-93 Hockey East scoring title with 15 goals and 48 assists in conference play—a record for a freshman—and had a Hockey East record 23-game scoring streak and a school record 31-game scoring streak. Growing up in North Vancouver, B.C., he helped Team Canada to a silver medal finish in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and a gold medal at the world hockey championships later that same year. Picked fourth overall by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, the durable high-scoring forward completed 15 NHL seasons. In addition to Anaheim, he has played for Colorado, Nashville, and St. Louis. Kariya averaged a point per game in his pro career and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player. He retired after sitting out the 2010-11 season with post-concussion syndrome.
Top Ten:
Player Stats
| Type | Season | Team Name | League | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Season | 2009-2010 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 18 | 25 | 43 | 36 | -7 |
| Hobey Winning Season | 1992-1993 | Univ. of Maine | NCAA | 25 | 75 | 100 | 12 |
1993 Runner Up
Greg Johnson was an elite college hockey player for the University of North Dakota from 1989 to 1993. He was a three-time Hobey Baker Award finalist, earning nominations in 1991, 1992, and 1993. He was also a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 1991 and 1993, and second-team honors in 1992. Johnson finished his career as North Dakota’s all-time leading scorer with 272 points in 155 games, including a school-record 198 assists. He was inducted into the University of North Dakota Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
After his impressive college career, Johnson was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers and had a lengthy 12-season professional career in the NHL. He played in over 700 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Nashville Predators. He was an original Predator, having been selected in the 1998 Expansion Draft, and served as the team’s captain from 2002 to 2006. He also represented Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal.