Education has always been important to left-winger Paul Kariya of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. His parents are both school teachers and Kariya is a student of hockey. He studied with one of the best professors in the game, the "Great One," Wayne Gretzky. As a child Kariya studied films of Gretzky and used the lessons he learned to become a rising star in the National Hockey League (NHL). Scoring 50 goals in his first full professional season, Kariya hopes to live up to the title some hockey experts have given him: The Next Gretzky.

Growing up

Learns from parents

Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya (ka-REE-ya) was born October 16, 1974, in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the second oldest of five children of Tetsuhiko, a Japanese-Canadian, and Sharon Kariya. Kariya's father is a math and computer science teacher at Argyle Secondary School, and his mother is also a school teacher. "School...