Kariya Confirms His Olympic Ties

Unsigned restricted free agent Paul Kariya told two Canadian television networks Saturday he will join the Canadian national team for workouts beginning Monday in Calgary.

And that could delay his return to the Ducks until after the Olympics, which begin Feb. 8 in Nagano, Japan.

Kariya, selected to play on the Canadian Olympic team, plans to practice and play with the national team well into January to prepare for the Games.

He said he hoped his lengthy layoff wouldn’t hurt him during the Olympics.

“After the last Olympics I had two months off and was skating on my own before I joined the World Championships team,” said Kariya, who through his agent has refused several recent interview requests by The Times. “I feel terrific physically. It’s the best I’ve ever felt. Obviously, I’m not in game shape. [But] I feel as good as I could possibly feel.”